#in case you were wondering what edgar was trying to say

[lumpy-veev]

A comic I made for me and my friend's auuuu. Poco's on the run from some nasty people, so he joined the Goldarm Gang. It was a good month or two! Until the past caught up.

(Feel free to ask questions if you wanna know more!)

#lumpyart #brawl stars #brawl stars poco #brawl stars edgar #brawl stars belle #brawl stars sam #brawl stars tara #brawl stars shelly #brawl stars rico #musical strains #tw character death #tw gun violence #tw implied death #in case you were wondering what edgar was trying to say #he was trying to say 'don't look' #because poco's unlife has been pretty terrible up until this point #and edgar didn't want to add to that #dw edgar gets better #and then he and poco kith #poco x edgar supremacy #even if that means instigating Hella Angst ♡

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2023: #02 & #01 (Finale)

02. CZECHIA Vesna - "My sister's crown" 10th place

Decade ranking: 5/116 [Above Daði Freyr, below Käärijä]

Finland over Czechia seems like a no-brainer. Some midcarding bitches vs ~K*Ä*Ä*R*I*J*Ä~ come on, how hard can it be? Who is Czechia even for?!

ME, motherfucker. This entry is for ME, and FOR ME ALONE!!! and since this is MY ranking, that made the decision very difficult. It took me MONTHS to settle who to put at the top.

Vesna are often cited as one of the more overrated acts in the year. Overrated by whom? Who overrates Vesna? Isn't 10th a correct placement? i've met NO ONE who would even consider putting them as high as second? - and I obv don't count since it took me AN ETERITY to out myself as a Vesna stan!!

I'd counter that Czechia are THE MOST UNDERRATED by the fandom (not by placement - that is Slovenia, as always) and absolutely deserved all the good things that happened to them ^_^

So obviously, there are multiple factors at work here. The song is a fantastic earworm. Like, defo one of the best in the year? In terms of sheer replayability, "My Sister's Crown" is on the same level as "Edgar" (studio only :-/) and "Carpe Diem", and you know how much I value those. The song has four languages (including Bulgarian) and none of them clash. The lyrics are quotable and fun. This is a track with ATTITUDE and ZEST, that managed to criticize the war in Ukraine without beating us over the head with it via a poorly hidden, clumsily written political message. The song is SMART, and respects its listeners.

LOVE'S NOT A MONEY BAG BLOOD'S ON YOUR GOD'S HANDS YOU CANNOT STEAL OUR SOULS

However, going into the year, there were issues - Vesna were messy and dissonant, and the six girls often gave the impression of competing against each other for attention. They were not a UNIT. Although "My Sister's Crown" was always one of the best songs, many (including myself!) were sceptical it could come together.

And it did, spectacularly.

See, one of the things about this year is that the good performances and good songs were often mismatched. Albania, Estonia and Poland had great on-stage glam-ups, but they were severely hampered by the songs being what they were. Other countries such as France and Austria had good songs, but required really good acts to tie them together, and failed or, in case of say UK, has good acts that were performed badly.

If you made a Venn Diagram between the best songs and the biggest growers, there wouldn't be much overlap. Except for Czechia.

To quote Matteo Lane's pearl of wisdom; if there's only ONE GAY, everything gets done! Ahmad Malloun was the One Gay and channeled his bossbottom energy to fuss Vesna into shape. Suddenly, the girls were harmonious and disciplined and that made all the difference. Suddenly, Czechia had an act with a clear vision - Six women united visually through their outfits. Vesna had become a UNIT, united through sisterhood.

SESTRO KRASIVA OI TI SILYNA HOROBRA JEDINA KORONA TVOJA

It really doesn't get mentioned nearly often enough how amazing the Czech staging was. Sure, Loreen and Käärijä, both top notch. But this is my personal favourite of the bunch. It's a visually stunning, avant garde act that fits the music, that fits the thematics, that pulls you in and tells a story without overtly complicating matters. They start as a group of angry hexaplets and then burst into joyful sororian rapture at the end. The staging is both aesthetically pleasing and intuitive. They hit the gold standard for acts that everyone should try to strive for!!

There are times where I wonder whether I really should rank Vesna above Käärijä. My Sister's Crown fully morphed into a me-coded entry. And perhaps, if and when I watch 2023 again, I may do exactly that. For now though, I've decided against it. The argument for Finland is less complicated, so I went with that. And now for the winner of this ranking I am sure NOBODY saw coming ever:

-------------------------------------------------------------

01. FINLAND Käärijä - "Cha Cha Cha" 2nd place

Decade ranking: 4/116 [Above Vesna, below Chanel]

It's Käärijä, bitch.

I rest my case for ranking Finland first. I don't think anyone argues this as invalid? Good, let's pick it all apart because if there's anything Käärijä deserves, it is being talked about. 😉

So um, where to start? Maybe it's best to start with the song - "Cha Cha Cha" was that rare 1-in-500 entry. I always say that novelty always tends to become stale over time - once in a blue moon however, it endures. "Cha Cha Cha" is a novelty song that is also an excellent song in its own right, and it stil holds up very well. It's a fun song to listen to, even without all the circus and theatrics.

The circus and theatrics though, omg <3 Talk about a DELECTABLE act, once again. This is yet again an example of how staging compliments the song and makes it digestible. Cha Cha Cha is entirely in Finnish with only a few loan words tossed in - difficult to get into on paper. The staging however, brings the plot points home.

The song's about wanting to overcome anxieties to dance? So break from the crates

Confront the inner Dance Demons that harass your psyche

make your way to the dancefloor while dodging decapitation via errant wires.

and then, when you overcome all fears transition to that godly, campy key chance, ride your them, having overcome your inhibitions.

AND I GALLAVANT ON THE FLOOR LIKE A CHA CHA CHA AND MY ANXIETIES HAVE NO GRIP ON ME NO MORE

The act is BRILLIANT. The ballroom dancers with their creepy pearly-whites, the dorkopotamus choreography, the styling, the overwhelming sense of triumph once the key change hits... It's the same deal as Vesna and Loreen, just a handful of visual cues that visualize the song's themes (anxiety, rather than sisterhood or desolation) are easy to understand and don't further complicate matters. THIS is how it's done. This is how you Eurovision.

The magical ingredient that tied it all together was the man, the dad bod, the bolero himself - Käärijä. Talk about a personality so massive everything gravitated towards him. It's hard to put the extent of his likeability into words - he's just so disarmingly himself. The key here is that Käärijä doesn't see himself as anything special. To him, he's just "boy from Vantaa who likes queen Loreen". He's just self-aware enough to realize the effect he has on others, but not self-aware enough to understand what exactly endears him to so many people. So when Käärijä plays up for funsies, he magnifies all aspects of his personality which makes him... even more endearing. 😍

(it's the same magic dust that has people flock to Baby Lasagna this year, really.)

It's rare to have a contestant who managed to completely warp the meta around him to this extent. It's even more rare that the contestant in this position then loses the competition. I remember telling my friend André, who was behind on NF news, that Käärijä had won UMK, and he replied with an innocuous "great, I haven't been this excited for a contestant since Verka!". I think I realize in that moment, that was to be Käärijä's destiny. Verka was the Hot Favourite in their year, the breakout star of 2007 - and Verka placed second to a more competent entry (Molitva <3). It was in that moment that I knew that Käärijä's inevitable fate was to come second to Loreen.

And I feel like, we all knew deep down that was where we were headed. We all wanted Käärijä to win as much as we did, because we knew that he would not. He was blissfully cruising towards a loss, and that was too much of an injustice to accept it and not manifest a reality where he beats Sweden.

It even got to a point where some people are now retroactively trying push the notion Tattoo is better than Euphoria (that statement is more offensive than anything I've ever commited to print or speech, including the one time I called Lesley Roy frumpy on cam <3) and the best entry ever (excuse you?) largely because it beat Cha Cha Cha.

So if Käärijä is this great, then why the doubt? Why only fourth for the decade (for the moment)?

Well, it's same deal as Cornelia for me. The best live of Cha Cha Cha that we received was the first one, at UMK, and every other performance we've had since then was not as good. The one in Eurovision had terrible vocals and slightly less impressive staging compared to UMK. I know right? The ESC staging did MORE and yet accomplished LESS. They got rid of all the wrestling references? Where's the close-up at the end? The arena? THE LIFT?

Sure, these inaccuracies didn't detract from my personal enjoyment of Cha Cha Cha. They however did allow for Käärijä to fall behind far enough behind Loreen in the jury vote so that he could no longer catch up with her in the televote, like a death by a thousand paper cuts.

It was a great live, but it wasn't great enough to win. Eurovision Käärijä was not Käärijä at his best, while Vesna without question gave their best performance in the Grand Final. Hence my doubts.

However, I ultimately went with Käärijä anyway because he did something Vesna could not - he gave a concert in my city, and I attended. HE MADE ME LEAVE THE HOUSE AFTER DARK. And god, if you've not been to a Käârijä gig before, absolutely fucking go if you're able to - IT'S CRAZY IT'S PARTY is the perfect catchphrase for this hyperactive, sexually amorphous, adorkable gremlin.

He was his unadulterated self, slapping his belly only vaguely aware of his sex appeal, swooning over a group of Slovene attendees because they reminded him of The Love Of His Life Bojan Cveticanin, ripping one of his merch t-shirts in half and then wearing it as a jacket, airdiving a wayward balloon that floated its way on the stage. The music was also excellent. Exposed to to the FULL scope of Käärijäness, made all the good memories of the 2023 preshow flow back, how could I not rank him anywhere other than first? Maybe I will change my mind and rank Vesna first in a few years from now, but for now, let's savour him while he's still fresh in our minds.

REMINDER THAT THE 2024 ROSTER IS GREAT LARGELY THANKS TO KÄÄRIJÄ.

REMINDER THAT HE WOULD SO WIN ANY FUTURE EUROVISION IF HE WANTED TO:

(May I just name this as my fave song from the 2024 nf season MAY I????*)

He WAS 2023. He WAS Eurovision.

He may have lost the contest, but he has won life. (and paid his taxes.)

ALL RISE FOR THE BEST ACT OF 2023!

The RANKING (completed)

"Novo, Bolje" was my fave 2024 NF also-ran. Obv.

ADDENDUM: ABOUT ESC2024

Yeah, obviously i'm not going to do a pre-show ranking. With all the poison and controversy going on, it's just not the right time. I delayed this ranking specificially so that I wouldn't be temped to do the 2024 one later. (Unlike a certain broadcasting institution, I possess a modest amount of insight, foresight and self-awareness. 🙂 )

Hopefully, ESC 2024 goes down without too many incidents, and I'll able to start my post-show ranking the week after the Grand Final.

See you there, hopefully, if Eurovision isn't dead and buried by then! 💚

#Eurovision 2023 #ESC 2023 #ESC #Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Eurovision2023 #BorisBubbles #Vesna #My Sister's Crown #Czechia #Finland #Käärijä #Cha Cha Cha

[storiesundercandlelight]

Lemme seeee 👉🏻👈🏻 I’m definitely not as creative as you are but here’s a Jonathan x Reader NSFW idea 💙

How would Jonathan feel about having a student who has a crush on him? Idk maybe a medical student? Or a newly transformed progeny (not his) who he adopts?

Someone who genuinely tries to hide their crush for him out of respect but fails miserably.

Hope you’ve been well! Really missed you around Tumblr! ☺️✨

Thank you for the request! And for sticking around! I’m trying my best to post as many Vampyr fics as I can but sometimes life is… well life 🙈 I hope you enjoy!! Ps. I haven’t proof read so sorry if there’s mistakes!

Warnings: NSFW +18

The very idea was ludicrous to Jonathan. The very idea that his mind had even entertained the idea was surely a recipe for disaster.

Jonathan couldn’t help smile. He’d had his suspicions early on - the way you would without question carry out a task for him, how diligent you were with your work. The ideal student really.

He almost dismissed your subtle blushes and smiles as part of your character… almost. It was Elizabeth who had confirmed his suspicions regarding your feelings. Elizabeth’s friendship was easily mistaken for more when she had touched Jonathan’s arm, it was then he’d noticed the change, albeit subtle, on your face.

The disappointment had only lasted a few seconds at most, your professional intent quickly replacing the brief lapse in appearance. But he noticed.

He noticed because despite the fact that Jonathan too was trying to remain professional…he couldn’t help return what he hoped were feelings of more than colleagues, more than friendship.

The very idea of having any kind of relationship now - being the way he was - was something he hadn't thought about, but with a student? God above.

He had protested to no end when Edgar came to him with the notion of teaching students. "Jonathan, the hospital is understaffed, students are - and I hate to say it- cheap labour. And all too eager to please" It had made sense, Jonathan hated to admit it, but it did. He had spent days readying himself for all of the worst case scenarios, the very idea of teaching was, embarrassing to say the least.

The thought of so many young adults following Jonathan around for weeks was daunting, downright off putting. But this? These feelings he'd developed for you was something Jonathan never could have conjured up. Yet here he was - watching as you made your rounds. You were amongst the older students, old enough for it not to be out of the question, but still a good few years below Jonathan.

You were a fast learner though, always getting things right, always giving Jonathan the answers he was looking for.

It was growing closer and closer to the end of your shift, the early hours of the morning creeping in, but dawn was still a few hours away, the winter months were always easier for Jonathan, the days were thankfully longer. The sun allowing Jonathan to have a few more hours.

His feet seemed to move without him as he made his way over to you, your smaller frame shrugging on your coat as you're headed out into the front courtyard of the hospital. Jonathan reached out to grab your arm gently, a smile growing on your face as you turned to discover it was Jonathan that had stopped you.

"Doctor Reid, did you need me for something? I can come back in"

"No, no there's nothing...I was wondering if you'd like some company on your walk home?"

“Oh, I would love that - as long as it’s not getting in the way of anything you need to do” considerate as always.

“Not at all” Jonathan smiled, mindful of keeping his teeth hidden. No more wide smiles or unchecked laughter, not when one has fangs to hide. With a motion of his arm you began walking, Jonathan close by your side as you made your way over the bridge across from the hospital.

Polite chatter followed your footsteps as you discussed your day with Jonathan, he knew of course how your day went - the reports of each student were his responsibility - but he asked you anyway. God was he a fool? For listening so intently? For wanting to make you smile with funny remarks? For enjoying the soft tone of your voice?

Surely he wasn’t. He knew now your feelings must be as he suspected. His time was running out as you came to a stop in front of the building you had a rented room in. “Thank you for walking me home”

“Of course…” Jonathan trailed off as he willed his mind to conjure up some sort of excuse to keep you from going inside, some sort of way to address this… attraction.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No! Yes!…. I mean, not wrong no just…”

“Tell me”

“I’m trying to… failing rather miserably I’m afraid” Jonathan let of a deep sigh as he scanned the street, taking a moment to figure out what to say before he made a bigger fool of himself”

“If you’re looking for delicate words you know you needn’t bother with me” you smiled, lightening the mood.

“You know I’ll always try anyway…” Jonathan smiled back, now or never then. “I’ve noticed. At least I think I have anyway, the way you look at me I mean. If I’m wrong please tell me and I’ll apologise to no end, but if not… then I want you to know I feel the same way”

Well there it was, the truth of it out in the open. You watched Jonathan as he stood waiting for your answer. He was sure he’d messed up, your lack of response clearly must be a sure sine that he’d made a mistake. The apology was there on the tip of his tongue.

“Come inside”

“Are you sure?”

“Very”

The room was small but cozy, a tiny kitchenette in one corner, the door to the bathroom, the little living area adjacent to your bed. Jonathan was certain only you could create such a welcoming space. He also noted with familiarity the stacks of medical books littered across the room.

You stood for a moment unsure of yourself, unsure of your next move. Jonathan watched as you turned to him, taking a bold step closer until you were only a foot or so away from touching him. The air was thick with anticipation, you both knew what was going to happen, both wanting the same thing.

Before he could think better of it Jonathan closed the distance between you, his lips finding yours quickly. It took only seconds for you both to find the perfect rhythm, his tongue seeking out yours as your hands began to wander.

The thud of Jonathan’s coat hitting the floor did nothing to stop you as piece after piece of clothing joined the heavy fabric until you were both left exposed to the slowly warming air of the apartment. Jonathan backed you up slowly until your legs hit the side of the bed, the springs creaking only slightly as you both climbed onto the surprisingly soft mattress.

Jonathan was unsure at first, not letting his skin fully press against yours out of fear of being cold, but the winter air would be more than sufficient for an excuse. You let out a soft sigh as Jonathan positioned himself between your thighs, his lips ghosting over your skin, relishing the way you shivered beneath his soft touch.

A small huff of laughter left Jonathan as you tugged at him, clearly growing impatient. “I would have thought you’d have more patience, it’s one of your strengths at the hospital after all”

“Not when it comes to this” you muttered, pulling him again until he gave in, lowering himself down onto his elbows to kiss you before reaching between your bodies and lining himself up to your entrance.

He checked one last time before slowly pushing into you, the heat was almost too much for Jonathan. So used to the cold, no amounts of hot water could warm his skin for long but you, right now he was sure he’d never felt so hot.

The moan that slipped from your lips was more addictive than his bloodlust, with each thrust he was determined to hear more and more of them. Jonathan’s eyes roamed all over you, the peaks of your breasts, the slender line of your neck as you arched your head back, eyes closing and mouth falling open when he hit further back inside of you.

Your movements were awakening a part of Jonathan he’d almost forgotten about, the part of him that longs to be in the arms of another. The thrill of having someone pull him closer. Your breath mingled with his as your lips brushed against each others. Both of you fighting to keep what Jonathan was sure would be moans loud enough for your neighbours to hear at bay.

But his movements were becoming erratic, his hips faltering as he felt his climax drawing near. Your sudden end almost threw him over the edge but he kept his control for a few more moments before following you, his head falling against your neck as he released inside of you.

His fangs burned against his gums, begging for the blood that was pumping so close to his face, but in this moment Jonathan found it all too easy not to care. Falling beside you, pulling you into his arms was more important to him. Having a moment that seemed all too impossible both for his new life and the fact that he was technically your mentor. The thought made him chuckle.

“Something funny?” You looked up at Jonathan, your hand tracing lines below his jaw.

“Edgar would kill me if he found out about this”

The winter night outside turned to gentle snow as you both remained huddled in bed laughing quietly as what could only become a rather sensitive relationship. But one you were bother very ready to risk the lecture for.

#vampyr #vampyr game #vampyr 2018 #dr jonathan reid #jonathan reid #jonathan vampyr #jonathan reid x reader

[meetmyothersouls]

Darling Death

“You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the

Grim Reaper.”

- Robert Alton Harris

Chapter 1 - Day 1

I ran late for work that morning, but made sure to grab coffee on the way in. We normally didn't expect customers for another hour. 7 am was pretty early, even for book worms. I grabbed my mobile order from the coffee shop three doors down from my bookshop, Chapters that Change, and cursed under my breath as I saw someone already waiting outside.

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" I said sympathetically as, I fished my keys out of my fringy cross body bag. I sloshed coffee on my t-shirt in the process. "Shit."

It was a man who was waiting. He looked familiar, like someone I knew or saw somewhere recently. He looked mysterious and maybe a little bit lethal in all black and mostly leather. Black leather pants, a black t-shirt topped with a light black leather overcoat that stretched down to his knees, and black boots, combat style. He didn't say anything as I profusely apologized and dropped my keys three times in the process of trying to unlock the front door. He just stared, an eyebrow arched--in amusement or confusion, I wasn't sure. When I finally opened the door, he slid in behind me, so close I should have been able to feel the warmth of his body.

"Do you need-" I started, turning around to talk to my mysterious customer. "help...with anything...?" He was gone.

I dove into my work, wondering where he may have gone, but quickly forgot about him as I processed new releases and donations. Chapter that Change was a bookstore that sold both second handbooks, and a select few new books, mostly from local and indie authors. I was able to spend most of the first hour in the backroom, scanning inventory and checking conditions of books, anything with ripped pages had to go went into a bargain bin, while anything with mold or water damage went into the garbage. Mold is like a disease to books once one has it, they all will.

Then, I felt it. He was behind me. I turned, my voice catching in my throat even though I knew He was there.

"I-you-what-"

He stopped there again. His arched eyebrow as menacing as it was attractive. He turned, looking behind him as if there was a possibility I was talking to someone else rather than the ominous stranger in my backroom.

"You can't be in here," I finally choked out.

He nodded once, turned again and walked out. I watched him through the slim glass window on the door, hoping he'd walk out of my store all together. Instead, he turned left, traveling deeper into the bookstore.

"Who are you talking to?"

I jumped, yelping as I turned around. Josie arrived through the back entrance, holding her coffee and a laptop, looking as confused as I felt.

"You didn't see that guy?" I asked looking over my shoulder. "He's..."

"Is he hot?" Josie asked.

"I mean, yeah he's hot but he's kinda creepy, like...in an ominous Joe Goldburg way, you know?"

"Oh, fuck. Where is he? Is he still here?" Josie sat down her coffee on top of her laptop, already making her way into the store. She was always looking for a causal fuck.

"He's out there somewhere," I said, waving her off. "Ask him to leave? He's creeping me out."

Josie was already gone, scoping the place out for the mystery man. I finished scanning in my stack of books and loaded my cart up, then dragged it out to the floor to stock. Most of the books on my cart were heavy, in both weight and content: Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Bram Stoker. I walked over to the second-hand horror section, stopping at 'K' for King. I got about four books on the shelf until I noticed a pair of eyes staring at me from the other side. I screamed, sending my cart flying down the aisle as I took quick steps away from Him. My back slammed against the spines of books behind me. Half of the books on my cart now strewn across the floor. He stood up straight, towering over the cases of books and made his way around until he was standing over me. He offered his hand in what I thought was to help me off the floor, but when I grabbed it my vision went black. Everything sounded like it was underwater and far away. I felt myself jerking on the floor, but I couldn't do anything about it. Then He appeared in the vision and behind him stood something taller, darker and evil. A cloaked figure, with seemingly no face. Boney hands appeared from baggy sleeves and held a 7-foot-tall scythe. The man from the bookstore knelt down and cupped my face gently and my convulsions stopped.

"My dear, y/n," He said, his voice backed by the dark, evil thing behind, speaking the same words he spoke, only several octaves lower. "You have thirteen days."

Then, the world came back into view, almost overwhelmingly so. The air around me was loud. The ground under me was cold and hard. My breathing was rapid and my heart was beating so hard I could feel it in my stomach and ears. Josie stood over me, her eyes wide with fear.

"What the fuck is going on?" I shifted on the ground, backing myself into the bookcase again. "Oh my god, y/n, are you high?"

"What?! No! I don't..." I stood up, using the bookshelves behind me as leverage. I still felt weak, and I didn't trust my legs to support me. As the front door came into view, I heard the bell ding and the door swing shut as He left the bookstore.

"Hello?! Earth to y/n!?" Josie snapped in front of my face.

"No, no. I don't know what's happening." There was a sudden overwhelming need to follow Him. Like a gravitational pull that was dragging me toward the door. "Can you hang on a minute? I gotta check on something."

I left Josie, dumbfounded in the horror section as I ran after Him. He was easy to spot, but hard to catch up to. His strides were long, compared to my short ones. I had to run and push through the morning crowd on their way to work before I grabbed his coat and spun him around. Shockingly, he spun around, that same look of half confusion half amusement on his face.

"What the fuck was that!?" I yelled.

Passersby looked at me like I was crazy, giving me incredulous looks and side eyes.

"Whose she talking to, mama?" I heard a little boy ask, but that didn't register until much later.

"What was what?" He finally spoke, his voice the same was the one in the vision I had in the bookstore.

"Oh, for fucks sake," I said, already tired of His games and people looking at me like I was psychotic. I grabbed His arm and pulled him into the ally next to us. "You following me into the bookstore, barging into my backroom, and then grabbing my hand and giving me some fucked up vision or some shit! Who are you!?"

The man laughed, "You're asking the wrong questions, y/n."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

He shrugged.

"What was that?" I tried the question again.

"That was your fate."

"My fate? What the fuck does that even mean?"

"I wasn't expecting you to be able to see me," he said, annoyed.

"What? Can you please just try to make sense for five fucking seconds?"

The man took steps toward me, the heels of his boots heavy against the old brick of the alley. He stopped once he was close enough for me to feel the cold radiate off of his body.

"What does that even mean?"

"It means," his breath was so cold, "most people can't see Death coming."

This has been a SufferingSouls production

Tags: @dayafied @soulofendlessbook @fashphotolife @scentedkittenperfection @weasleytwinscumslut @timotheel0ver @mxciscastleintheair @marvelmaniac2000 @lovelyrocker @divine-1 @love-poems-only @starberry-cake @inlovewithphantasy @alexagirlie @misswestfall @softhecreator @livresjaunes @timmymyluv @inannamoon @harrys-thick-thighs @s-we-e-t-t-ea @timolaurence @its-schmackin-dude @justagirlwhoneedshelp @kteezy997 @sufferingstarlight @xoxoloverb @tropicalrozmajzl @iloveneilperry @syirnge @patronsaintofthetwinks @rosewatergroupie @onlyenoughiamweird

#timothee chalamet #timothée chalamet #writing #timothee chalamet x reader #timothee chalamet x you #timothee blurb #timothee chalamet imagine #timmy chalamet #dark!timothee #darling death

[theboarsbride]

And in with another comment cause you had reblogged we could. It is interesting how Edgar is worried about scaring the kids away upon being seen and yet, most kids, unless provided with an image of things they could be scared of would probably not fear him. I say that thinking back at my own childhood. I liked dark things from a young age and I wasn't scared of many things other people or even kids my age would. I liked the idea of ghosts or monsters and the things that scared me were actually pretty normal. I was terrified of clowns for example but other kids loved them. So with that in mind I wonder what kind of fear the kid could have experienced. He could have ran but he didn't. He froze, ok, that's another response to terror, but even after his friends' call which could have had him snap out of it, he kept looking. So I'm guessing...curiosity? I don't know what happens next but I'm thinking that upon given the chance, maybe the kid would have even approached. I mean he had already ventured in a dark and abandoned-looking place so there must be some extra bravery about him and intrigue over things different and dark-looking. I, for one, would have probably approached, as a kid. I loved this scene by the way, I just like analyzing things. ^^' - by dotr-rose-love

Oh for sure!!!

Edgar just assumes EVERYONE will react negatively to him, and he assumes that children will have a more violent reaction because they're more innocent than adults, and he doesn't want to be the thing to 'taint' that innocence.

In Adam's case, he is definitely startled by Edgar! Startled but not really TERIFIED?? It's kind of like seeing a ghost (which Edgar is very much like) where you're trying to register what you're seeing while your blood is running cold. If he'd the opportunity he'd probably try to talk to Eddie! He definitely wouldn't have run away because you're right, sometimes kids are so much bolder than adults are, and Adam would definitely be one of those kids!!

(also THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!!!! I really love seeing people's thoughts and interpretations of themes in TMATB!!🥺💛THANK YOU!!!!!)

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Episode 2x02 of The Boys! Okay, that was too much tv for one day, my head is not liking it. Note to self, no more than one episode a day.

It’s impressive how well the show keeps so many storylines happen in one episode without making it feel excessive. I think I’ll say something for each storyline, actually. I’m enjoying this.

The boys - it’s happening even faster than I thought, Hughie setting the basis for becoming the leader of the group, or least the one that restructures how the group works. Frenchie called Butcher because he thinks they need Butcher as their leader, but they have outgrown Butcher. Butcher needs to catch up with them now, change his behavior and stop with the omissions. He does a little bit when he realizes the others are not following him, telling them about Becca and all, but he still has a long way to go. All of them have way to go as a team.

Stormfront is intriguing, or better yet, Edgar’s intentions in hiring her are. Because the narrative made a big deal out of her being the only one that Edgar chose himself. The others were approved by Homelander, i.e. they were Stillwell’s creatures. (One could speculate whether Edgar promoting Stillwell was a way to control her better, but now that she’s dead, we can’t really tell.)

When Annie joined the Seven and acted against the script, she was immediately reprimanded to try to rein her in. Stormfront is openly acting in a way that goes blatantly against the regular superhero propaganda of Vought, and with Edgar telling Homelander that they’re not a superhero company but a pharmaceutical company, I’m wondering if Edgar’s plans are to dismantle the current superhero propaganda line (Stillwell’s creation rather than his?) for something else, something that does not need Homelander the way Stillwell’s line did.

In addition to this, I believe she’s there to investigate on the others. Her pushing Annie’s buttons so insistently have led Annie to reveal a lot about herself that she really shouldn’t have. That she agrees with Stormfront’s remarks on Vought, that she’s not what she appears, that speaking too freely about Vought is not safe--girl, you cannot trust a stranger with this information! Be careful!

(I wonder if with all this “if Homelander finds out about this you’re dead!!” is narrative irony and it’s not actually Homelander she needs to be careful of. Well, it kinda happened already with A-Train, although in this case the threat is that A-Train goes talking to Homelander.)

Now, speaking of Homelander--ouch. He actually has Feelings(TM) about the situation with the kid. I think he’s sincere when he basically says he’s desperate to find someone like him, because being “a god” is so isolating and lonely, and he also projects (not necessarily being wrong about it) his trauma about growing up in a lab onto Ryan’s situation of growing up in what is essentially a golden cage, but still a prison. Of course it’s a prison to keep something out rather than something in, but when you build a wall to keep something out, you also keep something in. He has a point when he brings this up to Becca, although of course the reason all of this is happening is that Becca (and Vogelbaum) wanted the kid to be the least like Homelander he could possibly be, which is not a bad concept.

(I think the thing will blow up in both Becca’s and Homelander’s faces in different ways. Then again, what in this show doesn’t blow up in people’s faces.)

The Deep’s situation is quite interesting because he’s being taken in by a straight-on textbook cult, but it could actually help him out (until it doesn’t) or at least be a catalyst for him to help himself. I guess it will be an Experience(TM), painful but useful. I wonder if Eagle is a cult man through and though or if he has his own goals (joining the Seven himself?). I have suspicions. I think you can imagine what my suspicions are.

That first shot of his paper where it says “What could I not live without” and his answer is a large MY TALENT makes me also suspect he’s going to lose it at some point. Bit of too on your nose, you know? He also has a pattern of really shitty luck. We also gotta introduce the concept of the possibility of a supe losing their powers sooner or later, right?

A-Train--I really feel for the guy. He’s not a bad guy and the circumstances of the narrative placing him opposite the protagonists is so frustrating (in a good narrative way obviously). He and Popclaw made distructive mistakes that stemmed from the fact that their powers are more of a curse for them than blessings. One could argue it goes for everyone in the show (I mean, it’s true), but A-Train and Popclaw’s arc serves the purpose to highlight how much of a curse these powers are rather than a blessing (in their case, a literal drug that leads to her death and almost kills him too). The official story is that supes are chosen by Jesus, the harsh reality is that their powers are really not good for them, and they end up lonely and making bad life choices because of them. I do hope A-Train gets some peace eventually, but I’m not getting my hopes too up.

Speaking of how supes are made - oh, Kimiko’s brother. Interesting arc. Until now, “terrorists” were random extras we didn’t have an attachment to, but now we have an emotional attachment to him through Kimiko. He represents the people who do become “terrorists” because they have a cause for it - they want to destroy America because America destroyed their people first. Kimiko’s brother saw a man clothed with the American flag come down from the sky and slaughter his village. Of course the narrative cannot say he’s “right”, because America is both the Homelanders but also the Hughies and the MMs so wanting to destroy it all is too extreme, but it’s still interesting that, by giving this perspective to a character that we have a kind of attachment to, shows us that it might be a “wrong” perspective but still one that has a validity to it. Our protagonist do want to destroy the toxic capitalistic, militaristic part of America, after all.

Maeve. Now that she’s come clean to her ex about the reason she left her, I am really afraid for the poor woman’s chances of survival. I mean, not because of Maeve, but because of how narratives function. I’m afraid the hospitalization for something minor is foreshadowing for something way more severe.

She’s so cute in civilian clothes. Please put Maeve in more sweaters. Actually put more characters in more sweaters in general. #sweatersupremacy

On a final note, the reason why Homelander kept Butcher alive. He didn’t have to. He could have just pulverized him and get rid of the problem. Butcher would have been imputed for Stillwell’s murder and mysteriously disappeared forever. I suppose it’s because Homelander respects/is impressed by him? How many people, after all, are not afraid of Homelander? Does Homelander not want him out of the picture because he’s a challenge, something he has so little of?

#marghe watches the boys

[saintobio]

wastelands (epilogue)

For my Y/N,

I’ll start this off by saying I don’t really know how to write letters. Fuck, I’m sorry. This probably won’t be as cute as the ones you’ve written and I but here I’m writing this piece and I hope you know that I’m not Edgar Allan Poe.

By the time I’m writing this, it’s 2am on a Saturday before we leave for Aomori so I’m feeling a lot of things.

You’re sleeping right now and I hope you don’t mind that I left you for a while to get some fresh air. I also hope you don’t mind that I’m writing on the back of the letter that you’ve written for me — the lack of resources is appalling. You’d probably be surprised because we never really talked about the letters since the day in that gated community. I’ve been made aware that you wrote them while I was in the Tokyo camp and I got Sophia to admit the truth. I wish I can tell you how devastated I was, not because I wanted it to be Sophia, but because I felt like I’ve been stripped off of the opportunity to appreciate you better than I should’ve. Your letters were the best things I’ve ever received from someone. And for years, I’ve been in love with the amount of effort and time that someone has dedicated into writing those for me. To be honest, I’ve done so many fucked up things in life and I still wonder why you like me despite it all. I don’t deserve it It’s pretty amazing, don’t you think? How someone can stay loyal to a person who barely returned it? I’m fucking stupid

I thought I already knew what true love is until I actually felt it for the first time when you left the camp and I had nothing else in mind but to find you because living no longer means anything without you. I’ve done so many hurtful things to you so I’m turning this into an apology letter somehow. Baby I’m sorry for all the things I did. For not opening my eyes, for being insensitive, for asking you to do things that you shouldn’t have (but you still did because you love me) and for making you wait too long until I’ve come into terms with my feelings. Thinking of it now, I was such an asshole I’d probably go to hell.

I don’t think I can re-write my past, but I promise to give all of my heart to you from this day forward. You’re my life. You’re the reason I have content in my heart. I wanna spend every second of my future with you in our new beginnings. (Let’s make many babies and have a happy family :> Reproduction is key!) I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us. I can’t wait to see you in a white dress when we marry. I can’t wait to hold your hand when you give birth to our first child. I can’t wait to grow old with you away from this wasteland but in our own paradise.

You loved me for seven years. I’ll love you a thousand years more. It’s not enough, is it?? Then, in that case... I’ll love you a million times when we cross paths again in all the universes there is. It’s been a wild ride for this one. We’re almost at the finish line and I’m sure by tomorrow you’ll reunite with Asher and I’ll be the cool brother-in-law who saved the day!! I’ll make it a living goal to make sure that you’re gonna meet him again so don’t worry. I have everything planned out. Your Rin’s got this.

You’re the most beautiful person I’ve seen, from inside and out, and I can’t tell you enough just how deeply I’ve fallen for you. This shit’s cheesy and I know you’re just gonna laugh! But here, just believe me when I say I wished I’d opened my eyes sooner. I knew I felt something for you when we walked together to the bus stop that morning back in high school — I can never forget how you panicked in front of me or how you held on to your white backpack while trying to look away. I’ve heard you had a crush on me so I thought it’d be cute to tease and follow you around just to see your reaction. Such an ass, right? I enjoyed it when you blushed around me. I should’ve been brave enough to ask you if you wrote those letters instead of believing Sophia like the blind man I was. One of my biggest regret in life is that I didn’t follow what my heart was telling me (or what Rumiko was telling me, she’s right after all).

But on the other hand, one thing I will never regret is to die next to you. We don’t know when it’ll happen. Tomorrow, next week, next month, or 50 years from now. Nothing’s certain in this world. Rumiko once told me that if she was gonna die, she wanted to be held by someone that loved her. How could a 9-year old even think that way? Though it started to make sense to me now. It made me realize that I too wanna be held by someone when the time comes, and I want that someone to be you. Sorry, I don’t know how the topic transitioned to death it just crossed my mind for some reason and I’m also running out of space to write on but to end this very amazing literary piece by your very amazing boyfriend Rintarou Suna, I want you to know that I’ll never leave your side.

I’m with you even when it feels like I’m not. Through thick and thin, I’ll seek no one else but you. My angel. I love you. ♡

Love,

Rin

“Idiot.”

Droplets of tears had fallen on the crisp paper that you’ve been holding for the past hour. One of Suna’s last instructions to you was to only open the contents of his wallet when you’ve already healed. With six months that had gone since his demise, you thought you were ready again to check the pieces of him that he had left behind.

Contrary to your expectations, you were far from prepared. You still ended up bursting into tears in reminiscence of the nightmarish memory you had of that night at the rooftop. The surge of waterfall that poured out of your eyes were attributable to the grief that you’ve kept in your heart for half a year. And now, upon reading Rin’s response letter, you were back to being a sobbing mess whose heart had deep crevices that would never truly heal.

“You idiot.” You wiped your eyes and pressed your lips together as another round of heartache coiled inside of you. “Why did you leave me?”

Hearing about his excitement for the future that he didn’t get to fulfill was torturous in itself. You imagined the painful thoughts that were going through his head at the time of his transition but you spared yourself of the agony knowing that it would only add more bruises to your heart.

Life with Rin was bliss, life without him was misery. However, the only thing that placed you in the middle of that spectrum was the part of him that he had left behind. A part of him that allowed you to live sans the constant temptation to follow him six feet under. You had to live because he gave you a reason to, not only for yourself, but for the new life you ought to welcome ahead of you.

The other contents of his wallet consisted of things that all reminded you of him; his driver’s license, two sticks of his favorite cigarette, a ¥1000 bill with a drawn smiley face, and a packet of condom. Of course.

“Your dad,” you sighed, rolling your eyes, “should’ve used this.”

It was the first time you’ve smiled after you broke down from reading his letter. Searching through his wallet earned you one last item to discover and it was, surprisingly, a cutout yearbook photo of you. It was hidden between the narrowest sleeves in his wallet that you wouldn’t have found if not for your willingness to search for more.

How long has he been keeping a photo of you? Turning the photo around, there was a note written on the back with the words:

For nii-chan :D -Rumiko

God, the amount of tears that you’ve produced could give you an ocean at this point. You couldn’t help but think about the adorable Rumiko sneaking your photo inside his wallet hoping that someday he would find it there. Maybe Rintarou Suna really liked you deeper than you thought. And maybe, by this time, he had already reunited with his little sister.

“Y/N?” A knock on your door awoke you from your daze. At once, you were hastily gathering Rin’s items back into his wallet before the person came inside of your chambers.

The deepest sighs come from the loneliest hearts, he once said. Osamu’s eyes laved with worry at the sight of your obvious crying but you shrugged it off with a smile. “Hey, you’re back.”

He nodded, enclosing your frame into a hug before planting a kiss on your temple. “Is everything okay?” His fingers tucked your hair behind your ear.

“Yeah, I...” You moved the wallet to the side, unknown that his eyes had already caught it. “Just reminiscing on some things.”

“Sunarin?” he inquired with an intent look. “I thought it was the pregnancy hormones.”

Right. Osamu had always been the first one to deal with you during the height of your hormones. The constant crying, the agitation, the yearning—he had no escape from you. He was burdened of the responsibility to look after you as Rin made him promise so in his dying breath and Osamu was never one to break a best friend’s word.

The first time you found out that you were carrying Suna’s child, you were in a state similar to that of an empty void. You could barely get ahold of yourself, much less carry a child whose father was no longer alive. The only time you finally got back to your senses was after receiving constant reassurances from Asher, the Miya twins, and Aran who all said that you should consider your baby as a piece of Rin that you could hold on to.

They were right, because now you love your child more than anything else in this world. The thought of welcoming a baby—a product of you and Rin—acted as a glue to your broken heart. He didn’t truly leave you by yourself, but instead has left you with an angel that you would learn to fully love like him.

“Have you heard from the nurse?” you asked, having Osamu pull you into his lap as he sat at the edge of yours and Asher’s bunk bed. “I had an appointment today but I didn’t feel like going.”

The response he gave was a look of displease. “You know you can’t skip your sessions.”

Because many survivors acquired trauma from the zombie outbreak and the loss of their loved ones, Aomori offered special therapy sessions for those who needed it. Particularly in your case, you were considered on high priority because you were pregnant and they valued carriers of the next generation with utmost care.

“I will, tomorrow.”

“You better.” He tapped your thigh before he got up with you. “Wanna exercise those legs and walk around the camp?”

And so you did.

Walking around the camp was sort of a breath of fresh air.

To put it simply, life in Aomori could be likened to a marathon of the same movie. Daily activities were the same; the meals were served communally, children were required to go to school, men of age were to assist the military, and the women were either to aid the medical staff or help out in routine tasks.

Aomori was building a nation that had high hopes for the youth. After a vaccine was developed only three months ago, it was natural to see that the country still hasn’t risen from its wreckage. The Zs were still lurching all over the wastelands and the government’s current plan was to eradicate every single zombie until they fall instinct. How would they do that? You had no idea. Though it was a plain fact that the zombie apocalypse might not be over until 5-10 years from now, which also meant that you would have to live in Aomori for that long.

Asher didn’t seem to mind. He was contented with what life offered him in your new safe home and nothing much should be expected. You were proud to see your brother acting more and more in his maturity who saw brightness even in the dark. He had grown protective of you in comparison to the younger version of him who always indulged in petty sibling fights. You could only chuckle at the thought.

“Oh, Asher’s in there.” Following Osamu’s gaze, you saw your brother outside of the medical building who was standing next to Atsumu. The two were engaged in a conversation with Doctor Kat—the same doctor you met when you first arrived Aomori.

“I’m starting to think that the reason Atsumu can’t leave Asher alone is because of Doctor Kat,” you assumed, hand instinctively rubbing circles on your bump. “That idiot likes her.”

“Right? He won’t even admit it to me. He’s got heart eyes for her like Suna was to you,” the twin responded before he turned to face you. “Speaking of, do you think the baby’s gonna look like Sunarin?”

Your heart pounded at the thought. “I hope so. I hope he’s his carbon copy.”

“Wait, it’s a he?” Osamu’s eyes widened just as much his smile at the news.

Your nod was to confirm. “Yeah, I had an ultrasound yesterday. I was gonna surprise you guys.”

My little angel. You wondered what Rin’s reaction would be if he was with you. Probably ecstatic or he would most likely brag about his son to his friends. Kita was for sure congratulating him in heaven and the image of it made you laugh softly.

“He would’ve been so excited.” There was a hint of both happiness and sadness in Osamu’s tone that he immediately veiled with a smile.

He really would’ve. Based on the letter he wrote, Rin did want his own family with you and you couldn’t help but feel your depression kicking back in. However, with a baby in your womb, you ought to have a strong mental resilience. You weren’t just doing this for yourself now but also for the sake of your little one.

You thought back then that having Asher was enough. He was the only family you had and you would be okay with just him by your side. Suna was an exception because for seven years long you waited until he finally returned your love albeit taken away at a blink of an eye. You were only given a taste of what it felt like.

But with the loss of a loved one came with the birth of another.

Apart from the material things that Rin left for you to remember, he also blessed you with a child that you would love for all eternity. Maybe this was really your fate, in this universe, where you were never meant to be with your other half. There was no other way to change your destiny but to just keep going and continue living.

Rin would always be in your heart. His spirit would remain with you. As the sun sets, the sun would rise again. Nothing was to stay in the dark for brighter days awaited you.

“I miss you every day, Rin,” you whispered, eyes seeking the stillness of the sky.

In your head, you heard his velvet voice giving you a response:

“I’m always with you, angel.”

hq general taglist: @x-cloudyyyy @iwazubean @cottonheadedninnymugggins @centvry @kageyamakock @sunnsettee @bluesylveon2 @tsukkisfatsimp @cuddlesslut @mysteriousparker @asdfghjkl7things @02hhsailor @anejuuuuoy @minswags-posts @chemnerdkuroo @misssugarless @deeznutss @tanakax123 @oikawa-bubs @lust4keiji @stel9 @tsumuuwu @daylghits @ems1des @the-golden-jhope @wonyoschubs @bakus-stuff @melty-kisses @softy-woo @dekuspet @kittycatkrissa

wastelands taglist: @6mattsun9 @kity @kuroosbb @agaashesmilktea @strawberries-en-cream @hokageyamz @ermahgerd-larry-and-ziam @omisemi @aonenthusiast @oikawaisamood @atsumusoup @chaiteabeebee @bongofrito @yoshikomoonara28 @rinstars @suhkusa @shrimpypenis

#suna rintarou x reader #suna rintarou x you #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #haikyuu angst #suna rintaro x reader #suna rintaro x you

[neonacity]

LUCID | NCT DREAM ‘00 LINE X READER | CH.4

LUCID DREAMS - A TYPE OF DREAM WHEREIN THE PERSON IS AWARE THAT THEY ARE CAUGHT IN A DREAM WORLD.

Summary: It was supposed to be a harmless, professional transaction. You were to tutor a group of boys, get your pay at the end of the day, and go home to your loving fiance. Kids aren’t supposed to be dangerous, right? So why, then, are you caught up in a web of madness that slowly makes you feel like you’re in a living nightmare?

NOTE:This is a yandere plot featuring NCT Dream ‘00 line which means there will be mature themes in the story as well as obsessive, toxic behavior. If you’re a minor, please refrain from interacting. If this isn’t your thing, then just scroll and skip. In no way am I condoning anything written here— this is not love, this is obsession—nor do I think that any of the people mentioned here will act any way like in this story. This is purely a work of fiction.

Genre: yandere, horror, suspense

TW: abuse, obsessive behavior, toxic relationships, suggestive scenes, stalking, possible kidnapping, mental health. Age gap–though nothing dramatic. Everyone is of legal age. Creepy, creepy, creepy! This will be updated as the story goes along.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

“Deep into that darkness, peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared dream before”

— Edgar Allan Poe

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes. I checked the results of her scans and there seems to be no broken bones. But she did hit her head hard so I would suggest she take a rest for a couple of days."

The voices dipped in and out of your swimming consciousness like broken records. There were words that you caught and tried to grasp, but you couldn't quite make out what they mean while you struggled to emerge from your half asleep state. A searing pain ran down the left side of your head and you winced, before a particularly harsh throbbing there finally sent your eyes flying open.

The first thing you saw were the red velvet drapes hanging from the middle of what looked like the ceiling of a four poster. You frowned at it, not quite understanding what exactly it is you were looking at, when another painful throb on your temple had your hand flying towards it.

You were too focused on trying to grit back the pain that you missed the hurried rustling from beside your bed. When your vision finally focused again, you saw five heads peer at you wearing identical worried expressions.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Taeyong asked softly, concern written all over his face. He raised his hand slowly to reach out to you, but then something snapped deep down in your consciousness that sent you bolting up into a sitting position, your feet scrambling against the mattress until your back hit the headboard. Your eyes jumped from one face to the next, heart thudding harshly against your chest.

Taeyong's expression shifted from that of shock into pain at your reaction. He didn't make any other move, his gaze briefly moving instead to the person standing beside the head of your bed.

"Taeil-hyung…"

You felt a gentle hand rest on your shoulders then. For the first time, you noticed the man in a white jacket leaning towards you. He looked unfamiliar, but there was something about him that calmed you down. He peered closer into you now, brown eyes quickly scanning your features.

"Shh… everything's okay. How are you feeling?"

His soft voice slowed your heartbeat down a little. You tried to give him an answer, wincing at the scratchiness of your throat.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a doctor. Do you know where you are right now?"

Your gaze moved from him, then back to the others who are still standing on the fringes of your bed. Now that you are much calmer, you could finally properly recognize the rest of the group in the room. Taeyong sat closest to you while Haechan and Renjun hovered by the foot of the bed wearing identical frowns. Jaemin stood by the other side, his hand wrapped around Jisung's shoulders loosely. The youngest boy looked on to you, eyes rimmed with red.

You slowly nodded after swallowing the dryness in your mouth.

"The… manor…"

You visibly saw the rest of the group give a collective sigh of relief. Taeil moved to sit beside you and gently moved your face to him to quickly check your eyes with his pen light.

"She's still a little bit confused from the fall. She does look okay though," he said and you figured he was talking to the others instead of you. You frowned as you felt him take your wrist to check your pulse.

"I… fell?"

His brown eyes glanced at you briefly.

"You did. You don't remember anything?"

Before you could even respond, you heard Taeyong gently speak from your side.

"You fell on a ravine. We heard Jisung crying when we came back and came looking for you guys as fast as we could. You were unconscious when we found you…"

You let his words sink in slowly. Little by little, your memories came slipping back like little puzzle pieces that arranged themselves slowly in the back of your mind.

You remember Chenle's screams, you running into the forest, and then the feeling of falling into nothingness. Your hands balled over the blanket covering you as your head throbbed again.

"I'm so sorry, noona," your attention moved to Jisung who leaned just a little bit closer to you. He looked like he had been crying. "Chenle and I took our playing too far. We didn't think that this would happen…" he trailed off and you saw Jaemin try to soothe him by rubbing his arm.

"Where's Chenle…? Is he alright?" You asked, remembering that the boy was calling for help before your own accident.

"Yes. He's still unconscious from the anesthesia. He broke his leg from his fall but we were able to rush him to the clinic with you," Taeyong answered again.

"Is your head hurting? We had to make a couple of stitches on you, but your scans turned out fine," the doctor, who you figured out is named Taeil, asked again. Your hand raised once more to the side of your head and noticed the bandages there for the first time. One side of your skull alternated from throbbing dully to stinging sharply.

"Um...it hurts a little bit."

Taeil simply nodded and grabbed his pen to write something on the file he was holding. "That's normal. I thought you would have some short-term memory loss so it's good that you're only dealing with pain. I'll prescribe you painkillers for it."

You listened silently to what he was saying, only half understanding the context of his words. You still felt confused… like there was something you are missing.

As if he read your mind, Taeil glanced up at you again.

"Feeling confused is normal since you hit your head. You should also expect some intense headaches for a couple of weeks, maybe even some mild hallucinations. We'll try to control that with the medicine I'll give you but we're not sure how your body will react to them so just prepare yourself for the possibility, okay?"

You numbly nodded as you watched him finish scribbling something on a smaller piece of paper.

"Other than that, you don't need to be admitted to the hospital. But feel free to come back when you don't feel better after two weeks. You do have someone at home to watch over you, right?"

That made you stop, remembering that you would be alone for a couple of days. Taeil patiently waited for your answer, hand still hovering over his files.

"I… uh… I'm alone for three days but my boyfriend will be back after that…'' you finally managed to say. He frowned slightly at your answer.

"You don't have any relatives who can watch over you?"

You shook your head.

"You can stay here with us," you heard someone say and you looked over to Renjun who was still watching you with a worried expression on his face. "At least until you have someone with you at home."

The rest of the group seemed to have been taken by surprise by his suggestion as much as you were. The boy simply looked at his brothers in answer, however, a frown settling between his brows.

"It's the least we could do, right? Technically, it is our fault. And she got in an accident while at work. We can't just leave her on her own."

Taeil looked from the group, then at you. "That's not a bad idea… you do need to be under observation at least for a couple of days."

You honestly didn't know what to answer. Something told you to say no to the offer, but another part of you simply didn't have the energy to argue with the proposition. Before you could even give a reply, Jisung untangled himself from Jaemin to hold your hand. When you looked at him, he seemed on the verge of tears again.

"Please, noona? Can I make it up to you?"

You watched him, torn by the expression on his face. Finally, you gave a sigh.

"Okay… but I do need to tell my boyfriend that I'll stay over. And I don't really have anything with me…"

"You can borrow our mom's wardrobe. I think you are about the same size," Haechan offered. "Then we can just buy your other things."

You didn't know what to feel about that but nodded at the suggestion, at least for now. With the decision finalized, Taeil finally turned to Taeyong and handed him the paper he had been writing on.

"Here’s her prescription then. I have bottles of the painkillers with me but you might need to drive back to town for the sleeping pills," he said as he turned towards the older boy. "She might need it in case she gets trouble sleeping."

Taeyong nodded as his eyes quickly scanned the paper handed over to him. "About Chenle, do I also need to get him something?"

"We can talk about that separately. How about we go check him now? He must be up around this time, too."

The older boy threw you a glance and a parting apologetic smile before following Taeil who had already picked up his bag and started heading towards the door. Beside you, Jisung quickly let go of your hand to follow the doctor.

"Taeyong-hyung, I'll go with you. Noona, I'll be back later."

You watched silently as the group left and closed the door softly behind them. You still felt a little out of it that you didn't really give notice to the three boys left inside your room until you felt your mattress dip a little. A finger to your chin broke you from your reverie, and when you turned to your side, you saw Jaemin peering at you closely.

"Does it still hurt, noona?"

You blinked at his closeness, but you still felt too weak to even panic or move away. So instead, you simply nodded, goosebumps rising on your flesh as he moved to tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear.

"I'm sorry… now your pretty face is all scratched up, too. I don't think they'll leave marks though… so we don't have to worry about that, hmm…?" His eyes roamed your features slowly and deliberately. You swallowed and finally moved away for a bit.

"Do you remember what happened? Did you slip?"

Renjun's question was the distraction you were looking for. Turning to him, you gave yourself some time to process an answer,  slowly shifting through the memories that were still painful and hazy for you to fully grasp. Still, you tried to recall what you could manage, your confusion only growing as you shifted through the bits and pieces of what you could remember.

There were a few things that didn't make sense to you and a few that you were also sure to be true, the most glaring one being the impossibility of you slipping down that cliff. No, you didn’t lose your footing. 

You were pushed. 

"No… I didn't. Something… something hit me," you finally managed to mumble. The three boys looked at each other, mild confusion in their expressions.

"Hit you? Like an animal?" Haechan asked with a concerned tone. You slightly shook your head as you thought over that possibility as well.

The thing is… you were sure there were no other people in the woods because everyone was accounted for when the accident happened. Taeyong and the kids weren't back yet from their trip and you were sure Jisung and Chenle were in another part of the forest since you heard them call out to you. Jeno is the only one left… but the chances of him being in the woods with you were also slim because of his injury. So that only leaves two possibilities—one, being a wild animal as the culprit behind your fall, or two, that someone else who isn't part of Rosewood manor was there with you in the woods.

Personally, you desperately wanted the first one to be true, but a gnawing feeling inside of you told you no. Your head might still feel a little hazy, but there's one thing you can be sure of.

The force that sent you hurtling down the cliff? That was no animal.

They were human hands.

"Might be… an animal," you whispered more to yourself than to address the boys in the room after a while. You didn't know what pushed you to lie through your teeth, but your gut feeling told you it is the right thing to do at the moment.

Haechan, Jaemin, and Renjun exchanged worried glances amongst themselves, obviously not buying what you just said. Fortunately, they didn't seem to push it for now.

"Well...we'll leave you alone tonight so you can rest. Haechan and I will try to look for clothes that could fit you so you can get changed. If you need anything, you can just press 0 on that intercom. It connects you to Taeyong-hyung," Renjun explained gently and pointed towards a small machine on the wall beside your bed. You nodded and gathered the blankets closer to you.

"We'll go now. Rest well, noona," Haechan said as he turned towards the door. Renjun followed after giving you another apologetic smile.

You waited for Jaemin to finally pick himself up from your bed as well before allowing yourself to relax. Silently, you moved your gaze towards him, only to be met by his smile. It was strange… how even though he looked so kind and gentle, the way he stared at you still sent chills running down your spine.

"Don't worry. We'll make it up to you. We'll take care of you really well…"

----- "I can drive back tonight and pick you up early tomorrow," Jaehyun said over the phone, his voice barely concealing his worry and agitation. You gnawed on your lower lip as you stared at the view outside of your room, the night sky looking foreboding without any presence of stars. You have managed to prop yourself up against the seat in front of your window out of your sheer desperation to temporarily escape the bed. It is quite ironic, maybe even strange, how you feel claustrophobic inside despite the expansive space of your quarters.

"It's fine, Jae. I'm doing much better now," you finally managed to say as you forced yourself to look away from the view of the forest beyond. Just looking at it gave you chills even though you know you should feel safe in the confines of the manor now.

"Baby, you have stitches on your head," Jaehyun tried to say that evenly, though you know just how much he is panicking right now. For a stranger, your fiance can easily pass off as unbothered and calm most of the time, but you know him enough to read him like an open book. To be honest though... you can't really blame him for how he is reacting right now.

"Yes, but I'm feeling fine now. I don't really want you to drive back this late…and besides, your workshop just started. It's only for three days anyway,” you tried to reason out, though another part of you desperately wants him by your side at the moment. You tried your best to fight it off, however, knowing how important this business trip is for him. “I think it’s okay if I stay here temporarily while I wait for you,” you added, trying your best to sound convincing. 

Jaehyun was silent at the other end of the line and you patiently waited for him to speak again, knowing full well that he is just looking for another possible compromise to the situation. Finally, he sighed. 

"Are you sure you are safe there though?" He asked quietly after a while. His question made you stop for a little bit, your eyes moving towards the view of the woods from your window again.

"...yes. I have a very private room right now so I can rest well," you answered as you tore your eyes away from it and forced yourself to look at the interiors of your quarters instead. Studying it now, it looks a lot like the layout of Jeno's room so you figured you must be in the same hallway.

"That's not what I mean," Jaehyun said, and you already know what he is going to say next. "What I mean is, are you sure you can trust the people there?"

It took you a few seconds to answer that. You would be lying to yourself if you say you don't feel strange and jumpy right now, but at the same time, you also feel a little guilty for harboring such emotions when the family was nice enough to offer you temporary space and care. Sure, your accident still remains a mystery, but it’s not like you can assume that anyone wanted it to happen, especially since Chenle also ended up injured. It’s because of that reason that you simply swallowed back your nerves, chalking up your odd feelings as after effects for your fall.  

"Yes, of course. They haven't really bothered me that much. I don't think we should worry about it…"

Jaehyun's silence said that he wasn't entirely convinced. It took a moment for him to finally give a resigned gust of breath.

"Fine. Keep yourself safe, okay? I will call you back again tomorrow morning. Make sure you rest tonight."

"Okay...Don't worry about me too much," you said, smiling even though you know he couldn’t see you right now.

"I will still try and see if I can cut my trip shorter, alright?"

You chuckled. There it is, the compromise.

"Okay…"

"I love you. Stay safe."

"I will… Love you too."

"Oh, and honey?" You were about to cut the call when his voice stopped you again. You pressed the phone closer to your ear once more, waiting for his last words.

"Lock the door."

Your eyes flew towards the dark oak door at the other end of the room at his words.

"Okay, I will. Goodnight, baby."

You let out a tired sigh when you finally finished the call. Maybe Jaehyun was right… Maybe it wouldn't hurt if he could cut his trip and go home earlier than planned. For now though, you don't have any other choice but at least spend the first night here to recover a little more. Your wound has honestly started stinging again, maybe because the effect of the first painkillers are finally starting to wear off.

You gave one long look around your quarters before throwing your phone on the wide four poster bed. When your gaze landed on the door once more, you heard Jaehyun's reminder echoing in your mind again.

Slowly, you walked towards it, feet padding over the lush rug that covered the whole floor of the room. You noticed that there was a double lock system installed on it at least—a knob one, and a bolt-type that can be maneuvered from the inside. You gave an internal sigh of relief when you took notice of the latter, knowing that you have at least a level of protection even from those who have keys to the house. You have started to reach out to fix both locks when the door swung open all of a sudden, causing you to stumble back a little in shock.

Haechan looked back at you with the same look of surprise on his face at the threshold. For a while the two of you just stood there, staring at each other.

"Ah, I'm sorry, noona. I forgot to knock. I'm not really used to having guests here," he smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. His apologetic chuckles finally made you unfreeze from your spot.

"Tha-that's fine. I was just surprised. Why… are you here?"

"Oh, I just have to give you this," he extended his hands over to you, and for the first time, you noticed the folded garment that he was holding. You gingerly took it, feeling the softness of silk brushing your fingers.

"Renjun and I tried to look for an old night gown of our mom's that would fit you. It is a little bit old fashioned but it's clean and still holds up together so I think that would work, at least for now."

At his words, you took a closer look at the dress on your hands before unfurling it to its full length. He was right, it does look a little dated with its long sleeves, laced collar, and embroidered hem that would probably fall mid-leg on you, but the size looks just enough for your frame. You looked up at Haechan again with a smile.

"Thank you. I think this will work… But, are you sure it is okay for me to borrow it?" You asked hesitantly, eyes falling briefly again on the dress. After all, you do know the story behind their parents, and there are some people who can get a little sensitive about the possessions of their passed on loved ones. The least you could do is to bring up the question. 

Haechan, however, looked the least bit bothered. You didn't catch it because you were studying the lacework on one of the cuffs under the light, but one end of his lips curled up into a smirk as his hooded gaze moved to study the dress on your hands before grazing your form from head to toe.

"No. We don't mind. It's the only female clothing that we can offer for now, unless you want to borrow one of our clothes~?"

That immediately made your eyes snap back to him. His words were innocent, but the way his voice curled made your cheeks feel hot all of a sudden.

"No, that's not what I meant—"

The embarrassment on your face must have looked too obvious because the boy suddenly burst out laughing, his giggles sounding like a lilting tune as it floated down the hallway. You've always noticed how beautiful his voice is, but it is only now that you realized how calming it is to the ears, despite your current flustered state.

"Yah, I'm kidding, noona. I was just trying to make you feel better," he said after his laughter calmed down. You tried to give him an apologetic smile and looked down on the dress in your hands, your fingers unconsciously finding comfort from the smoothness of the silk. Haechan drank your expression silently with his eyes in the brief moment that you were distracted. You have always had this independent and confident air around you normally, but you have a more subdued nature now, probably because you are hurt.

He studied you silently as a thought formed in his mind. He may like the way you carry yourself on an everyday basis, but the way you are now? 

He loves it. 

"Besides… I think you'll look pretty on it," he said softly, voice sounding like whispers on skin. You looked up to see him smiling at you fondly, as if he is remembering a distant memory.

You cleared your throat before nodding. "Thank you. I'll change to this tonight. Please say thanks to Renjun as well."

Haechan gave you his signature smile and clasped his hands behind his back.

"No problem. We'll check on you tomorrow again. Goodnight, noona."

You were about to close the door when you suddenly stopped halfway as you remembered something.

"Oh, sorry. Another thing."

The boy turned back to you to give you a questioning look. You smiled at him apologetically.

"Can I ask to have some of my medications? I don't know who has it but I think Taeyong was handed my prescription. It's just that, my head is hurting again so I’d like to take some before going to sleep…"

Haechan's brows raised slightly at the realization.

"Oh, Taeyong-hyung hasn't visited you yet then? Ah… I think it's because he is still busy with Chenle. I can get them for you, noona."

"Will that be okay? Really sorry for asking this."

"Stop apologizing, it's fine," he winked and you managed to return it with a grateful smile. "I'll look for Taeyong-hyung and bring you your meds. Maybe you can get changed for now."

"Thank you, Haechan."

"I'll be back," he nodded before turning on his heels again, a spring on his step. 

------- "Shhh… sweetie, don't cry. You know I don't like it when you do that, right?"

A woman bent over a boy not older than seven who was currently cowering against the shadowed corner of the room. The space didn't have any lights on, but the sliver of moonlight that passed between the small crack of curtains shone on the tear-streaked face of the child. The female in front of him gently reached out for his face, cradling his cheeks lovingly between long, slender fingers.

"Look at you, you look like a mess now… stop crying, okay?" Her voice was soft and angelic when she spoke, enough to calm down the sobs wrecking the thin frame of the child before her. The boy gave a small nod which made her smile, her dainty features glowing with happiness.

"Very good. Now… you do know we have to go through this, right? You've been a bad boy so you leave me with no other choice."

The child froze in fear but softened his stance after a few heartbeats. He mumbled softly, trying his best to keep his voice from breaking.

"Yes… mother."

The woman's expression remained somber, as if she was in pain. She gently moved her hand to run her thumb over the boy's cheek, wetting her sharp fingernail with his tears.

"You do know that even if it will hurt, mother still loves you a lot, right? Mama is doing this because she cares for you a lot and she wants you to be good... my sunshine... my precious, precious boy…"

Her soothing voice mixed with her words made the boy stop crying entirely. Instead, his eyes shone with pure adoration for her.

"Yes, mama… I know that."

The lady smiled. Her eyes scanned the features of the child momentarily before finally letting her hand holding his face drop to her side. Slowly, she straightened up again to her full height, but not before grabbing for something from the floor beside her. The moonlight caught it before it got swallowed by the darkness of the room again—a leather belt so thin it almost looks like a whip.

The woman raised her hand gracefully above her head before giving one last loving smile at the boy on the floor.

"Now, try not to scream too much… we don't want to hurt your voice."

---- Haechan softly hummed a happy tune as he walked through the wing of the house where their private quarters are. It was late at night and the rest of his brothers had retreated back into their own rooms despite all the excitement that  happened in the past few hours. His gaze touched each door as he passed them, a smile curling the tips of his lips as he did.

There are a few things that Haechan believes sets him apart from the rest of his family. He isn't as physically strong as Jeno, as charismatic as Jaemin, or as patient and quiet as Renjun. He isn't as friendly and likable as Mark, nor is he also as innocent and magnetic as Jisung and Chenle.

What Haechan is, however...is smart and cunning…

He is smart enough to always be two steps ahead of everyone and cunning enough to move the pieces that he set without having to lift a finger if he wanted to. There is a subtleness in him that doesn't make red flags flash in someone’s head unlike Jaemin does whenever he can't control his neediness, but he has enough pull to get under someone's skin if he wanted to unlike Renjun who prefers the quiet and watchful approach. Oh and Jeno? He knows how to use Jeno's strength well.

He knows it enough to suggest to his brother to give a little friendly push to the right direction—or rather, to the right cliff—so the wheel can finally move. Sure, it might hurt someone, maybe even break a bone or two, but that's normal. After all, when you love, you should be willing to hurt a little.

His hums died when he finally stopped at the last room down the hallway, mind trying to picture what's on the other side. His gaze quickly glanced at the small tray in his hands carrying a small glass of water and a variety of pills that gleamed under the dim lighting. He smiled. Finally, he raised his hand to gently tap on the oak door in front of him.

"Noona, can I come in? I have your medicine with me."

He heard a soft rustling from the other side before the door finally opened. Silently, Haechan took a calming breath and tried his best to look casual at the vision that welcomed him. Of course he was right. The dress looked perfect on her, almost as if she was the original owner of it. She looked like she stepped out from a dream… his dreams.

Oh and what he would do to keep her there.

He gave her a friendly smile now as he pushed the tray to her hands. She returned it with a grateful look before studying the oddly matched colors of pills there silently. They shone dully under the dim lighting of the hallway, as if officially warning the start of something.

Yes, Haechan believes that there are a few things that starkly sets him apart from the rest of his brothers. But if he were to choose one, he would say he is ruthless. Ruthless enough to drag someone down a little, all the while wearing that sunny smile on his face.

After all, a little nightmare won't hurt anyone.

"Don't forget to take them so you can feel better, okay noona?"

---

CHAPTER 5

A/N: Okaaay so the core four have finally been covered. Guess it’s time to ask now who is the scariest? JK. Taglist below! 

@negincho,  @jhornytrash, @jaeminhyuckiii, @jungwoosswhore, @jsturkey, @aj–7, @pukupukupawpau, @tomiesgirlfren, @vsszn, @those-winternights​, ---

#nct dream fic #nct dream yandere #nct dream 00 liner yandere #nct dream 00 line x reader #haechan x reader #jeno x reader #jaemin x reader #renjun x reader #nct chenle #nct jisung #nct taeyong #nct taeil #nct yandere imagines #jaehyun x reader #nct horror au #nct dream yandere au #nct dream 00 line yandere fic #nct-writers

[omgsquee2001]

They Ask You to Be Their Significant Other/First Kiss: Marko

“Kill Max.” It was the only thing you could think of. You had learned that the Frog Brothers were planning on killing everyone, Marko, Paul, Dwayne and David, trying to see who was the head Vampire. You didn’t want to loose your brother or the boy you had slowly fallen in love with so you did the next best thing; you decided to bring the Frog Brothers, Michael and his brother Sam into the cave to negotiate between the two groups. To say David wasn’t happy about it, was an understatement. The Frog Brothers narrowed their eyes at you.

“Who the hell is Max?” Edgar asked. Sam looked at you.

“Wait, you mean my mom’s creepy new boyfriend? But he’s human.” He said. You shook your head.

“Nope. That’s where you’re wrong. He’s the Head Vampire.” You said. David tensed. You had just revealed who the Head Vampire was, which wasn’t good. Just as he was about to stop you, Dwayne placed his hand on his shoulder, stoping the leader of the small group. Sam frowned.

“But he passed the test! The Holy Water, the reflection, the garlic!” Sam said. You rolled your eyes.

“Okay, number 1, did anyone happen to invite him in? You don’t ever invite a vampire into your home. It renders your powerless. And number 2, garlic doesn’t work. Hell, it could kill anyone with just the smell of it alone.” You said. Marko but back a smirk, at your response. One thing he adored about you were your witty and sarcastic responses to either David or your brother, and in this case, three idiotic humans and a half-Vampire. Sam looked at Michael.

“Mike, did you let him in?!” Sam asked. Michael shrugged.

“How was I supposed to know?” Michael asked. You sighed and looked at them.

“Okay, when do Max and your mom get back from their date?”

~~~

You hid in the rafters of the house, using your new found balance since David, Dwayne and the others had showed you what you were and what you could become once you made your first kill. Marko climbed up into the rafters of the Emerson house, balancing next to you. You looked at him and smiled.

“Can I help you?” You asked. Marko smirked.

“Just coming to check on the beautiful lady.” He said. You smiled.

“I’m doing fine. Just nervous. I’ve heard they Sire’s are supposed to be incredibly strong. And we only have four full vampires, three humans and four halves. The odds aren’t exactly in our favor.” You said. Marko smiled.

“Hey,” he took your hand, making you look at him. “It will all be fine. We’ll kill Max and everything will be fine. I was also wondering if you would be my girlfriend? You know, if we survive this.” He said. You smiled and kissed his cheek.

“If we survive, I’ll give you my answer. And I’ll give you a real kiss.” You said, winking at Marko.

~~~

You screamed in pain as Max twisted your arm behind your back as you had dropped from the rafters to try and attack him. Marko and Dwayne’s eyes widened.

“[Y/N]!” They shouted. Marko growled, his human face turning into his Vampiric face.

“Let her go!” Marko shouted. Max laughed, making his Vampire features more prominent.

“And what are you going to do about it, boy? In a single moment, I could snap her neck like a twig.” Max threatened. Dwayne tensed. He didn’t want to loose his little sister. Not after he had almost lost everything had it not been for David and the boys. Marko stopped in place. You looked at him and gave him a pained smile.

‘I’ll be fine.’ You mouthed to him. Everything stopped as there was a faint, yet almost familiar sound of the “La Chakara” theme song playing. Michael’s eyes widened. Max frowned.

“What is that noise?”

Just as Grandpa Emerson came busting through the wall of the house, Michael was able to get you out of Max’s grip, however, the blast from the explosion that was Max, pushed the two of you across the room. The dust cleared, leaving behind a layer of ash and soot. Dwayne, Paul, David and Marko all coughed, wiping away the ash with their hands. Dwayne’s eyes widened, not seeing you anywhere.

“[Y/N]?! Where’s my sister?!” He shouted. Panic started to flood Marko’s system. Had you been caught in the blast? More coughing was heard.

“We’re over hear!” Michael’s familiar voice filled the house. The boys quickly rushed over, Marko pulling your unconscious body into his arms.

“No, no! [Y/N]! Please wake up.” Marko pleaded, brushing some hair out of your face. He sighed and rested his head against your chest, silently praying, for the first time in decades, to whoever might listen, for you to wake up.

~~~

Breaths and coughs left your lungs as your body complied with your wishes. Marko gasped as he looked down at you, relief flooding his system. You opened your eyes and smiled up at him, still trying to catch your breath.

“Yes.” You said. Marko frowned slightly.

“Yes?”

“I said that if we survived this, I would give you your answer from earlier. And I’m still alive, I think, and you’re still alive. So, yes.” You said. Dwayne looked down at you two in confusion.

“What do you mean? What question from earlier?” He asked. You glanced at your brother and decided to let your actions do the talking. You gently caressed Marko’s cheek with you hand, bringing him down into a kiss.

~~

//Sorry for the sucky ending. I’m not in the best emotional state right now, but decided to get this done anyway. I hope you guys like it.//

#the lost boys preferences #marko x reader

[euryd-ce]

❁ HOW ENDEARING

PAIRING: Demi Bourbon x GN! Reader (+ platonic interactions with other characters)

CW: None(?)

NOTE: Demi may be closer to fanon depictions rather than lore

Disclaimer: Painting Nudes does not exist nor was it written by Edgar Valden.

You liked Demi, maybe had a little crush on her, and she probably knew. Something she liked to advantage of for her own amusement, much to your dismay.

Demi liked teasing you just to see how you'd react. She found it cute, and maybe a little funny, mostly because she didn't even have to try. In fact, standing near you was probably enough to make something happen. This day in particular, the barmaid seemed to step up her game.

It started when you two decided to have breakfast together with Kevin and Jose. No, there was anything wrong with the meal, but you couldn't help but notice Demi's eyes lingering around you for a little while. Maybe a little too long. Hell, she hasn't even touched her food. She's been staring at you the whole time.

You didn't know why she was looking at you this time. That's right, this time. It wasn't the first time this has happened. Maybe you had something on your face... You weren't a messy eater, but that didn't stop little crumbs of bread from sticking on your lips.

'Or maybe my peripheral vision is making me imagine things...' you thought before slowly looking up from your plate and toward Demi's direction... only to make eye contact with her.

"...oh-" you accidentally say out loud before quickly looking back down and covering your mouth. Now you were the one leaving your food untouched, not that there was any left to begin with.

You wondered if your two male companions noticed the tension, or if there was even tension to notice in the first place. On one hand it could be there, on the other you could have been overthinking. You wondered so much and for so long that you didn't notice it was just you and Kevin left on the table.

He gave you a look, the look someone would give when they wanted to say, 'you put too much thought about the entire situation again didn't you?'.

You sighed, and turned to look at the cowboy, "No, I didn't."

"Huh?" Kevin raised a brow, "You didn't what?"

"Ah-" you put your hand on your forehead, realizing your mistake. "Nevermind..."

He chuckled, "Well, alright then darlin'. I better get going."

"Oh," you stood and tidied yourself up. "Well in that case, so will I!" You said before walking away from the dining room in a rather robotic manner, and making your way to the library.

Where you somehow bumped into Demi... Literally.

"Hey~" she said, leaning against a book shelf - awaiting response that would never come.

Now you were looking at each other, making eye contact, the very last thing you wanted from anyone in general. You almost wanted to just jump through the window and run into the woods, but you didn't want the harsh winter cold to seep into one of your only comfort places in the manor nor did you feel like becoming the next meal of a pack of wolves.

You were starting to wonder why she was even in the library. As someone who has never ceased visiting the realm of books daily, this is the first time you've seen her. Maybe she was looking for a book, a cook book, perhaps. Or maybe she was looking for you, '...no, that's ridiculous.' You thought. You thought for so long that you didn't realize you've been staring at her for three minutes. Your eyes widened at that realization.

Suddenly, Demi started grinning. Grinning a little too much. If the white streaks on her hair had faces, those would probably be grinning too. At this point she was probably trying to hold out a laugh, but was doing a terrible job at concealing it.

"Ah-" you covered your mouth. You needed to think of an excuse, quick.

"Ummm.... My apologies, I just came here to get-" You cut yourself off, grabbed the nearest book and looked at the title, but it instinctively brought an unsavory look on your face, as if you ate bread soaked in water.

You cleared your throat, "...Painting Nudes... by- Edgar Valden?!?!"

She snorted, then started laughing. You could have sworn you saw a tear fall at some point, but you had to focus. Focus on running away, with the rather indecent book still in your hands. You quickly left the library, only to bump into someone once again, but this time it was the man. The myth. The legend. The one and only author of the book in your hands.

He looked startled at first, then terrified after seeing what you were holding. Out of instinct, he snatched it, muttering a, "so that's where it went..." before hiding the book behind him.

"We take this secret to the grave," he pleaded- no, he demanded.

"...sure," you turned around intending to return to your room, but the painter stopped you again.

"Also, the match today," he cleared his throat. "The little girl's gotten the colds, so she can't make it. The rest of us were either busy or tired, so we were wondering if you'd be willing to take her place?"

You thought about it for a bit - or pretended to, at least - before finally saying, "sure, I guess."

Perhaps this was your chance to get your well deserved break from the barmaid, you thought as you made your way to the lobby.

"It'd be nice if I could just decode for now..." You sleepily yawned and opened the doors, and suddenly you weren't sleepy. Seated by the small dining table were none other than your breakfast buddies: Kevin, Jose, and Demi. Demi. So much for avoiding her antics.

You looked at the trio, then looked back, then looked at the trio again. You knew you brought this upon yourself, and there was no escaping now. Only gods - and maybe Demi - could tell what would happen this time around.

"Are you..." José started, and slowly raised a brow. "Going to take a seat...?" He pointed toward the only chair left.

"Ah-" you flinched a little, realizing you trapped yourself in your thoughts again. "Right... A seat... Right next to Demi... Yes."

You sat down, next to Demi, just as you said. You started to wonder if she was behind all this. Perhaps all of this was carefully prepared. Like she knew someone wouldn't make it, that you'd be the last one to arrive, and that you'd have to sit next to her. But you also wondered if Demi would even go that far in the first place.

Suddenly you felt a hand on yours. Demi's hand, on yours. It was soft - very soft. You wanted to grasp it, but you were busy being embarrassed about the fact that you both were somewhat holding hands.

"How was it?" She asked.

"How was what?"

"The book?"

You paused, "what book?"

"Painting...Nudes...?" She questioned with a smile. "By Edgar Valden?!?!" She added, imitating the way you said it in the library.

"Ah-" Edgar was going to kill you. He knew you knew about the book, but didn't know about your little outburst in the library.

"It was... nice." You looked away from her, "maybe a little scrumptious..."

"Oh?" She started grinning.

"Just- nevermind..." You blushed and closed your eyes.

Suddenly she was rubbing your hand, sensually, "I should join you sometime, yeah? If you'd allow me, of course."

You gulped, "...you want to paint nudes with me?!"

She chuckled and brought your hand to her cheek, "What? No? I meant reading? We could read together someday, if you'd like?"

"Oh..."

The two men who were with you also let out laughs from hearing your conversation. You could have sworn you heard something heavy and metallic drop past the curtains where the hunter usually waited. Was the hunter laughing at you too?

Yes, the hunter was in fact laughing at you. Not out loud. You couldn't see it though, but you didn't need to know that. Grace liked listening to the idle chatter the survivors held before the match, and hearing you even bring up painting nudes brought her the feeling of second-hand embarrassment. She almost felt like comforting you after the match, for your loss. Loss of dignity that is.

Alas, after what seemed like eternity, the match started. You suddenly missed the feeling of Demi's hands on yours, more than you'd like to admit. But you quickly suppressed the feeling, and quickly made your way toward the machine inside of the hospital to begin decoding.

Surprisingly, you weren't chased. You were finally able to do your job as a decoder and, well, decode. Kevin had unfortunately been sent back to the manor, but he and José bought your team enough time to reach a primed cipher machine.

Now all you had to do was wait. Wait with Demi, who was staring at you. Again... You sighed and looked at her, mustering the courage to ask, "do you... want something?"

"Hm..." She brought her hand up to her chin, pondering. "Would it be too much to say... I wanted you?"

"Ah-" 'What a tease,' you thought, covering your mouth like you always did when you found yourself feeling a little embarrassed.

The familiar feeling of her hands on yours suddenly came back, as if she heard your longing from afar. As if you were thinking out loud. As if she could read your mind. As if... She already knew what you would say, but was aware you were too shy to let it out.

You were so deep in thought that you didn't realize the match had ended. That while you were wandering around the depths of your mind, Demi had popped the machine at José's command, carried you to the gate, and secured a draw for the team.

And here you were, back at the manor. With Demi trying to snap you out of your thoughts. "Hello? Earth to (name)? Ah! There you are. I was getting a little worried there..."

"Hm?" You blinked, and looked at your surroundings. Trying to safely land back into reality. The reality that was you being in Demi's embrace. You didn't know how long you were thinking, but you hoped it wasn't for too long.

Suddenly, you felt the woman plant a kiss on your cheek, and the warmth from her body leave you. She grinned and turned toward the manor, but gave you one last look and a wave "think about it, but maybe not too much, yeah?"

'Think about what?' you wondered, and suddenly remembered the cause of your ascension to your headspace. The memory only made heat arise to your cheeks. 'She confessed', you thought, covering your mouth again.

You felt a rather moist hand on your head. It was Grace, giving you headpats, you presumed. She gave you a thumbs up, and a comforting look. A look which for some reason told you, 'Don't let painting nudes haunt you forever. I'll be here if you need someone to talk to'.

The interpretation startled you, making you raise a brow at the thought of it. But you nodded and brushed it off as overthinking. Brushed it off until you heard the familiar voice of the painter angrily screaming your name.

"(NAME)! GET BACK HERE!"

Perhaps thinking about what Demi said could wait later.

#identity v #idv #identity v x reader #idv x reader #identity v headcanons #identity v imagines #idv barmaid #identity v barmaid #barmaid x reader #Demi Bourbon x reader

[hutchhitched]

My thoughts on Fresh under the cut. Major spoilers below.

Well, that was fascinating. Very cool experience to be able to partake in a Sundance Festival, and I’m really thrilled it was opened up to the public via the web. Equally glad I tracked down my firestick remote so I could cast it to my TV instead of watching on my laptop.

As always, I’m incredibly impressed with Sebastian Stan and his ability to melt into a role. I’ve watched enough of his work and enough of his interviews that I can tell when he’s acting like himself and when he’s acting like a character, and I love the movies that let him do both. It was fun to watch him be charming, funny, sweet, and seductive as well as his over-the-top dance/butchering scenes. And then the ending with his fury… I continue to be impressed with everything he does.

I enjoy social commentaries, and this one didn’t disappoint in that way. I’m not a horror movie fan, so I wasn’t thrilled about watching something creepy in the middle of the night. The sacrifices I make to watch Sebastian Stan be a talented hottie…

Full disclosure: I’m 45 and single, and I absolutely refuse to do the online dating thing. As such, I don’t date much at all. It’s a long story that isn’t interesting enough to bother explaining, but this movie doesn’t make me regret being standoffish about meeting strangers online (at least as far as dating is concerned. I’ve thrown caution to the wind when it comes to fandom.). I had one successful face to face date during my last online dating stint, and it was lackluster and not worth remembering. I’ll take that over what happened in this movie. I know the meet-cute in this movie is a grocery store, but still…

The first date in the movie is with a character named Chad, who’s a real winner. The exchange is awkward and smacks of everything wrong with men’s reaction to being “friend zoned.” Chad’s response to Noa when she suggests things aren’t going to work out makes me worried for every woman who dates Chad after her. He gives off big “I’ve got a gun and will go after you when I snap” vibes.

Coming off that and an unsolicited dick pic, Noa heads to the grocery store and meets Steve, a charming, hot, and awkward man. He asks for her number, she gives it to him, and then he says he won’t call her, but he’ll want to. When he doesn’t, she’s bummed so when he does finally contact her, she’s ready for him. Cue whirlwind romance, sex on the first date, and a way too quick “let’s go away together,” and she finds herself chained to the wall in a dungeon.

Daisy Edgar Jones does a wonderful job portraying the horror and hopelessness of finding herself in that situation, and Sebastian is diabolical as he calmly explains to her what’s going on and incapacitates her. Brilliantly done.

Noa’s best friend is suspicious and tries to reach Noa via text message. They have a code to end their relationships, and when their conversation doesn’t go as planned, she realizes something’s happened to Noa. My best friend and I had a code word when I was going to grad school. If one of us texted the other the word, we were supposed to contact the other and make sure to get whichever one of us was in a bad situation out of it. I could identify with this part of the movie, just as I could with a number of the other dating tropes—He’s got a family? He’s married? Do I really have to have my keys between my fingers in case that person behind me is trying to attack me? Should I trust this drink?

The wife… The scene at the end when Molly (Mollie?) beats Steve’s wife to death with a shovel and blames her for why things are the way they are was fantastic. There’s a special place in hell for women who help men take advantage of other women (think Jeffrey Epstein’s friend who was just convicted recently), and I loved that scene. I’m very curious whether or not she lost her leg before she married Steve or if she was one of his early victims with whom he fell in love. If so, it would make sense that she’s pissed about finding his phone in the box when she gets to his house.

The bartender getting the hell out of there when the shooting started was hilarious. I loved every second of that.

Other random thoughts because it’s 4:20 am, and this is starting to not make any sense.

The way Noa appealed to Steve was brilliant. The way Sebastian and Daisy played that allowed for the audience to see Steve’s loneliness as he negotiates a world in which he can’t share one of his great loves with anyone else. (Sick but kinda sad.)

Love the dance scenes and the subtle movements. There’s something super sexy about understated dance moves. I have a story about that, but it’s not important to the movie.

Sebastian’s scene when he gets to overact (the first butchering scene) is fabulous and so him.

Biting off his dick is awesome. Go Noa. How very karma of her.

There’s a lot to be said about women supporting other women. I have more thoughts about it, especially since Noa does some eating of other women, but I’m going to let that percolate for a while.

Taking off her ass? Really? That’s weird.

This is very stream of consciousness, but I’ll end with this. The movie reminded me of Get Out and is a social commentary on the pitfalls and perils of modern dating. For that reason, I enjoyed it. Sebastian Stan continues to be an amazing actor and gorgeous. If he turned his charm on me, I’d be on the floor.

(My apologies for any typos. I’m tired, and I’ll edit tomorrow.)

#sebastian stan #daisy edgar jones #fresh #sundance #fresh spoilers

[lemonjoonah]

Level of Restraint (M)

Pairings: Jimin x Reader, Namjoon x Reader, Taehyung x Reader Word Count: 13K  Rating: M  Genre: Thriller, smut, office AU, BDSM AU  Warnings(contains spoilers): This story contains very dark themes and may not be suited to all readers, protected sex (vag+anal), threesome, double penetration, bondage (including partial suspension), dom/sub roles (reader is a sub), praise kink, mild degration, sensory deprivation, spanking, fingering, cum feeding, mild breathplay, sex toys, exhibitionism, voyeurism, discussion of safe word, Namjoon is a professional dom/sex worker, referenced discrimination of sex workers and those who participate in BDSM, public outing of sexual practices, inappropriate workplace relationships, referenced death of minor character, yandere character, misidentified sexual partner, manipulation, bribery, blackmail, implied stalking, violence.

Summary: As a co-founder of a consulting firm you can’t afford to be caught in a scandal. So flirting with your secretary, Jimin, would be out of the question. Giving your client’s son, Taehyung, a reference for a sexual partner would be reprehensible. And having regular paid BDSM sessions with your dominant, Namjoon? That would be a career ending disgrace. It’s too bad the only restraints in life you approve of are the cuffs that bind you to the bed, because there are those hiding in the dark waiting to take advantage. 

A/N: A huge thank you to everyone who supported me while writing this story. It was hard not to question the level of darkness this tale descends to. In the end your assurances and aid are the only reason this fic made it to fruition. Upon reading you might notice several thematic references to the ‘Fall of the House of Usher,’ by Edgar Allan Poe  and the Greek myth of Tantalus. They are two of my favourite tales, and together they greatly represent the darkened desires depicted in this oneshot.

...

8:55 am KNJ: Good girl.

Your heart races upon receiving the response you’ve been waiting for all morning. The sender had requested proof that you were wearing his last minute gift, and you were happy to oblige with the lewd photo. Finally seeing his simple praise for your efforts makes you grin from ear to ear, as you enter the front door to your workplace’s building. The message will be enough to get you through the day, high on the thought of his praise while his present is wrapped tightly around your ribs. Though the garment may be confining, you’ll endure anything to receive those two simple words.

Reluctantly glancing up from your phone you look ahead to see the elevator closing.

“Hold the door!” You call out, making a run for it. Mercifully the gap between the doors widens allowing you to climb in before it begins the long haul up. Glancing over to your savoir, you find your secretary standing at the panel. “Thanks Jimin.”

“No problem,” he responds with a warm smile. “What floor do you need?” Joking as he pushes the button labelled 14. 

You playfully shove his arm while trying to catch your breath. Had he left you down on the first floor there's no telling how long it would be before the elevator returned. The building in which you work has been down to one lift for a couple days, with no promise of when the other will be fixed. It’s not a surprise really, ever since you moved into this complex three years ago you’ve been plagued with breakdowns and shotty utilities. Considering how opulent  the tower is, with it’s gilded elevators and halls adorned in finery you expected better, but people often overlook flaws when they have something pleasant to stare at. Allowing the management to slack on some of the failings of the structure. 

“Do you think you could send maintenance another message?” You ask your hand clutching your waist to comfort the stitch in your side, no doubt a result of the corset concealed beneath your clothes. 

“Consider it done.” Jimin replies, pulling out his phone. “Are you okay Miss?” He asks, your heavy breathing failing to go unnoticed judging from the concern in his voice.

“Fine.” You quickly change the subject, not wanting to linger on your current state. “What’s on my schedule for today?”

“You have a consultation with Mr. Kim of HOC Industries in an hour-” 

“Really?” You cut in, confused about the sudden change. “But I just saw him a few weeks ago. Why is he coming in?”

“He didn’t say, I just got a message last night from him stating he required an appointment immediately.”

“That’s not a good sign...” You groan, wondering what information had dropped to spur a need for such an urgent response. 

“Afterwards you have an early lunch with journalist Min. Followed by a one o’clock appointment with Jeon Jungkook to go over the new web layout. And the rest of office hours are slated as admin.” 

You cringe over the prospect of bookkeeping. Your accountant’s involvement in a recent accident, placed him on an extended leave of absence. Since you are the only other member of your small staff qualified to balance the books, this leaves you burdened with his duties. “Remind me later to make a posting for a temp position.”

“Noted,” Jimin remarks as he continues to scroll through his phone. “Oh and don’t forget, you also have your monthly massage appointment with Kim Namjoon tonight.”

You smile at the thought, you would never forget a booking with him, especially since he’s the reason for your current state of breathlessness. You’ve been counting down the days until you get to see him, with only a few hours left you can barely contain yourself. To everyone who asks he’s a masseur, but the services he provides are far more aggressively intimate than a standard massage. You force a small cough to cover the involuntary moan starting to escape. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.” It’s not a complete lie, with the stress from work there have been a lot of restless nights recently, your appointment tonight should help to relieve a bit of that tension. There’s a loud groan as the elevator comes to a stop at your floor. You look up to the top of the lift and over to Jimin with worry, both of you stepping off with haste once the doors open.

Your entire office space consists of only a few rooms. You and Hoseok had started this company only a few years ago, focusing on corporate consultations regarding public image and approval. All things considered you’re doing rather well. With your negotiation tactics, Hoseok's philanthropy efforts, and Yoongi on retainer as your media source, you’ve been able to take on several giant corporations.    

As you walk down the hall you find the temperature starting to rise, and upon stepping into your’s and Jimin’s shared office, you’re hit with a wave of heat. You whisper your curses as you check the thermostat which has been jacked to its highest setting and refuses to shift back down. 

Giving up on the system you turn to the windows, but even those are a struggle after being neglected for so long. You call out to Jimin for assistance, waiting no more than a second before he is by your side. But even with his help you only manage to open them to the grand extent of a sliver before you’re forced to give in. At least with your office door open there’s now a small draft pervading the space.

“I guess I’ll send maintenance another message,” Jimin chuckles.

“You don’t think he’s trying to push us out do you?” You inquire about the building owner, and one of your own clients. You don’t usually make such bold claims, but with Jimin’s ties to the dubious man, it’s hard not to ask.

“I wouldn’t put it past him. Though I think this is more likely due to his lack of regard for the workmanship going into his properties.”

You nod overlooking the now stuffy room which holds both your desks. It serves its purpose with a sufficient amount of daylight from the large windows, and a partial wall giving you each a bit of privacy. You’d rather not have to leave this building and the status that comes with it, but there seems to be no end with these faulty appliances. “So much for being the height of sophistication.”

While you settle into your workspace you’re already dying from the heat, a sweater and camisole overtop your corset was not the best choice for today, but you didn’t want to risk anyone noticing the garment beneath. As you shuffling through your newsite tabs Jimin readies the coffee maker, returning to you with the first dose of your daily caffeine needs. 

“You’re a saint.”

Jimin smiles brightly at your compliment, living for the praise as always. “Do you want some ice on the side?” He laughs as you tug on your sweater to stop it from sticking to your skin.

“Only if I can rub it all over.” You sigh jokingly as you take a sip of the hot beverage.

“I’d be happy to assist.” His smirk and piercing gaze look to be downright serious, his flirtation hitting a new high today.    

“Sorry Jimin, I already have a massage appointment later. I think Namjoon would be very upset if you took his job from him.”

“That’s too bad.” He mutters, his lip still curled into a smile before stepping away from your desk. “Let me know if you change your mind. I’d be more than willing to compensate him for his loss.” Jimin has never been shy about his attraction to you, a desire which you most certainly reciprocate, but your own company policies keep the both of you tied to flirtatious word play. With Jimin winning more often than not when it comes to provocative sentiments.

He hangs around on your side of the room, straightening the chairs and stray flies, while you continue your search for whatever prompted the need for your haste meeting. At last you find it, on the featured articles of a prominent celeb news site, with the headline reading, ‘The Dark Desires of the Kim Family Heir.’

Much to your chagrin the issue isn’t regarding your client, but his son. As much as you try to stay out of personal family matters, sometimes they are unavoidable, and this looks to be one of those cases.

‘Kim Taehyung has long been considered one of the most eligible bachelors. He has it all, money, power, and a spot on every top ten most attractive list, but those who have been with him more intimately say he craves something more...’ 

Your mouth falls open in horror as one of Taehyung's former partners exposes their most intimate moments with him. ‘The Gucci suits and custom cologne are just an expensive mask for the darkness beneath. He would ask to be tied, bound to the bed and struck. He wanted pain and pleasure...’ The further you read the more your chest tightens. You’d rather not jump to conclusions, but you wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true. A fact which must make it all the more painful for Taehyung. You can only imagine what he must be going through, to have such private details exposed and exploited. He’s currently living your worst nightmare, a societal judgement over one's deepest desires. For professional reasons it would probably be best to stay out of this private matter, but you can’t in good consciousness let him suffer alone.

“That bad?” Jimin asks.

“Yeah...” You cover your mouth to hide your shuddering breath, blinking away the tears that threaten to spill on Taehyung's behalf.

Jimin shuffles in behind your desk with you. By lowering himself to read off your screen, his face falls next to yours. His hands come to rest on your shoulders as he leans in to eye the article in question. You should shoo him away, but you can’t help but be curious of his response to those who engage in such practices. As his eyes scan the page his grip on you tightens, his breathing erratic just like yours, with a whispered “‘Fuck,” escaping his lips. 

“Are we interrupting something?” A voice calls out from your open door. 

Your head snaps over in shock to find your next appointment waiting for you, with his son in tow. You jump up pushing Jimin back so you can greet your guests properly. “Mr. Kim! No not at all,  please come in. This must be-”

“Taehyung...” The younger man mutters as he walks in, slumping down in one of the chairs in front of your desk. His sunglasses are still in place, the smell of spirits wafts over you along with the spicy scent of what must be his referenced cologne. He’s a sight to behold, a person of his caliber could make a fortune off his looks alone; he wouldn’t even need a drop of his father's fortune. But of course, that would have been before this public outing of his bedroom tendencies. Now he’s more likely to be seen as a pariah rather than an asset.

Directing the elder to the seat next to him, you take your own once again as Jimin retreats to his desk. You don’t even have the chance to exchange pleasantries before Mr. Kim launches into the purpose of their visit. “I assume you saw the article about my son?”

“I did, but-”

“And? What can we do about it? How can we spin it? Our stocks have already taken a hit.”

“Your son just had a serious breach in personal privacy...” You pause hoping that he’ll have some semblance of a realization that he is not the victim here, instead he simply waits for you to continue. Attempt to hold in your dismay, you give him the only answer you can, “Sue for defamation if you’d like, but whether they are printing fact or fiction the damage is done. The press is still focusing on your family due to your early misdealings in your company. I would argue that if you turn the view of operations around then there is a very good chance that the media will start to back off personal affairs.”

“You can’t expect me to twiddle my thumbs and wait. My shareholders are currently questioning his ability to lead, they might seek to replace him.”

“Good.” Taehyung mutters. “If those prudes have a problem with me, I’d rather not have to work with them.”

You bite your lip to conceal a snort of laughter.  Mr. Kim fails to notice but his son seems to have caught your slip, taking off his glasses, he pierces you with a strong gaze.

Kim senior starts up again looking for sympathy and a way out, “Do you know how many of his flings I’ve had to pay off in the past-”

“Maybe you should just stick to your own business.” Taehyung eyes his father darkly.

“They made it my business when they started squealing to the press about what kind of man you are.”

You try to rein the situation in, this battle between father and son having no place in your office. “Mr. Kim! I would actually like to speak to your son for a moment. We can see if there’s a possible remedy for this... exposure.” You stand up, calling over the wall for your secretary "Jimin? Would you mind taking Mr. Kim to see Hoseok?” You turn back to your elder client, practically pushing him out the door into your secretaries’s care. “Jung Hoseok has been continuing his work on your company's philanthropic efforts. I’m sure he would love to show you what he has done with your portfolio.”

“Do you need me to come right back Miss?” Jimin asks with a pleading stare, his eyes flicker over to the young man still slumped in his seat.

“No I think we’ll be okay for a bit.” You mutter to him quietly as Mr. Kim proceeds down the hall. “Just keep him away for a few minutes.”

Once they're both gone you sit back down across from Taehyung with a sigh.

“So are your going to talk some sense into me?” He drawls with disdain.

“Fuck no,” you scoff, rummaging through your drawer. “Can I get you anything coffee, water... advil?”  You finally pull out the bottle of pain relievers and offer one to him as you take one yourself, your head ready to explode in frustration over his father. 

He tilts his head looking somewhat surprised, “So why did you send him away then?”

“I thought you could use a break. I’ve worked with many people like your father, they all want things done their way, and you’ll never be able to tell them otherwise. He’ll never admit to his faults, and the fact that he’s the real reason the media is all over you. So as long as you don’t tattle on me, we both can make it through this meeting with him thinking that he’s won.”

“Deal,” Taehyung agrees while he chuckles at your ploy. 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” You offer once again.

“Actually I’ll take some advil.”

“I thought you might.” You poor him glass from the cooler and offer up the pill. When his sleeve pulls back to reach for the cup you can’t help but notice the glaring red evidence of a rope abrasion on his wrist. While he throws back the pain killer, you take another sip of your coffee rolling the bitterness over your tongue before breaching the difficult subject. “It can’t be easy to have the press prying into every aspect of your private life.”

“It’s not so much that they pry, but...” Taehyung hesitates, his brow furrows as his fingers run through his hair tugging on the strands between his fingers.  “People know that they can go to them with a story and make money off any relations I have with them. And the press will gladly pay top dollar for what they have to offer.”

“The story is not a complete fabrication then?” You already know it’s not judging from his father's response and the marks on his arm, you just need to hear him say it. 

“No, it’s mostly true.” He admits, watching your reaction.

“Then it would seem that your desires might be thought unconventional by many of your past partners?”

Taehyung nods, taking another sip of his water. 

“From one unconventional individual to another,” you pause waiting for your own admission to sink in. To your delight Taehyung immediately perks up listening attentively as you continue. “There are more discreet ways to fill those needs.”

“Are you offering?” He asks, raising a brown along with the corner of his lips.

“No, I doubt that I would be very good at meeting your cravings, since we both hunger the same type of... attention.” You smile back at him, rejoicing in your mutual secret. “But I do have a friend who will take very good care of you. I’m going to give you a name and phone number, it’s up to you if you want to contact them, but I can assure you any conversations or actions between you and them will be kept strictly confidential. It’s not cheap,” you explain, but doubt that’ll be a problem for him. “But I assure you it’s safe and private.”

Taehyung can barely get the information from you fast enough once you jot it down. His hands, reaching for the sheet, accidentally knock over your coffee instead, sending the drink in your direction and staining your sweater. “I’m so sorry, here let me help you.” Taehyung jumps up and runs and grabs napkins from the coffee station. 

“It’s fine really.” You assure him, making an attempt to stop him as he starts to blot the saturated material. 

Unfortunately it’s at this moment that Jimin walks in to see your precarious state. He stands there for a moment in silence before explaining the reason for his return. “Mr. Kim said he needs to leave soon, Miss. He wanted to see if you two were... finished.” There’s glare set in his eyes for Taehyung's forwardness.

“Yeah, be right there, just one second.” You turn back to Taehyung, exchanging the damp napkin in his hand for the paper you had just written on. “Think about it, I hope you’ll give him a call. I don’t give out his information unless I think it will be of help to someone.”

“Kim Namjoon,” Taehyung mutters quietly while reading the slip. “If I were to go see him, would I find you there too?” He looks back up at you, biting his lip after posing his query.

“Likely not, he keeps his sessions very private, but you can always discuss your...” You glance over to Jimin who is still waiting, and well within earshot. “Preferences with him.”

“Then I’ll consider it, thank you.”

After seeing Mr. Kim and his son off, you're left to deal with the stain on your sweater, with only fifteen minutes before you have to leave for your lunch appointment. “Jimin could you call Yoongi and let him know I’m running a little late? I need to stop by my apartment on the way.”

“No need, I’ve got an extra shirt here.” He pulls out one of his own from his desk. “ I know it’s a men’s fit, but I think we can make it work.” 

“Why do you keep that here?” You laugh. He only looks at you and the stain with a raised brow, no words needed to prove his point. “Never mind, stupid question, but I can’t take your shirt Jimin.”

“I insist, go put it on.” He forces it into your hands as you double check your watch, your time constraints leaving you with little choice. 

Stepping behind the dividing wall, you strip down to your camisole, breathing a sigh of relief that the beverage hadn’t seeped into the fabric of the corset. Quickly throwing his button up over top and tucking it in, you check to ensure your intimate garment is still hidden relatively beneath the shirt before coming back out for his opinion “Does it look okay?”

Jimin nods, but when he reaches out to touch the shirt you recoil, fearing that he will discover what you wear beneath. He chuckles and persists, “I’m just fixing your collar.” He moves in closer standing just a couple inches away. Pinching the two seams of the fabric together, he considers the change. “I think it would look better like this.” You nod, keeping silent as he follows through. Pulling the fabric tight around your throat, your breathing is forced to pause for a moment as he fastens the top button. “Better?” He asks, while his hands linger around your neck.

“Much.” You whisper, as his fingers drift up to hold your chin, with the tip of his thumb dragging along the edge of your bottom lip. You stand there confused as to why your flirtatious game has taken such a physical turn. Although his actions are prohibited and should be censured, you can’t fully condemn them, deciding instead to remove yourself, rather than reprimand him. “I-I should go. I don’t want to be late meeting Yoongi.”  

...

It was a productive lunch to say the least, but that was by no means thanks to you. Your focus was distinctly elsewhere. While you toyed with your bottom lip, thinking of how Jimin had touched it just moments before, Yoongi gave you everything you needed to secure several new clients. Even now as you return, disembarking the elevator on to your floor, you still can’t concentrate on the day ahead.

On the walk back to your office Hoseok catches you, quickly pulling you into his own and closing the door behind. “You need to do something about Jimin.” 

“Wh-what do you mean?” You ask, nervous that he had seen you two together before you left for your meeting.

“Your client earlier, Mr. Kim, he said that he caught you two acting rather close, making suggestions that you two are involved in a sexual relationship. Usually I would disregard a comment like his but-” 

“It’s not true, you know I wouldn’t!” As much as you might want to act on Jimin’s advances you’ve never crossed that line. You know it must have been bad for Hoseok to bring it up, for him to take this serious tone is evidence of his deep concern. 

“I know that, but this isn’t the first time someone has thought you two might be a little too intimate. Some of the staff have also considered the notion. And I can see why, the way he looks at you, talks to you...” Hoseok trails off as his eyes linger on your apparel in confusion. “You weren’t wearing that earlier were you?” 

“No, I had some coffee spill on me earlier. Jimin was nice enough to loan me his.”

Hoseok tilts his head as he raises his brow as if this validates his concerns.

“He was just being helpful!” You offer, but Hoseok doesn’t look to be swayed, and he’s right, this is a workplace not a morning after situation. “Fine, I see your point. So what do you suggest?”

“Redistribute him, send him my way if you have to, god knows that I could use the extra hand. You could even play it off as a promotion, just get him out of your office.” Your heart drops at the thought, not wanting to give him up. Hoseok seeing this takes a softer tone. “Listen I can see that you like him too. I’m sure it feels good to have his attention, but you need to get this out of your system. You have to put a stop to it. We can’t afford a scandal and you know it.” 

With the assurance that you’ll think on the issue, and giving Hoseok your solution by tomorrow, you return to your office. But the problem is far from easy, though you did not lie about your physical relationship to Hoseok, you have been keeping something from him. From all of them. Jimin will never accept a promotion if it takes him away from you. He’s never worked here for the money, he doesn’t need to when his father owns half of the city, this building included. 

...

-3 years ago-

“Mr. Lee, thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me.” You pull out the chair to sit across from him. The massive mahogany desk of his placing a rather large distance between the two of you. 

“Yes well, my building manager said you were very persistent.” There’s a small roll in his eyes as he looks from you down to the computer in front of him. 

“I wanted to discuss one of your properties, an office space in the Madeline Suites.”

He takes a swift glance at your modest appearance with narrowing eyes. “Forgive me, but I believe that location might be out of your price range.” 

“Monetarily yes,” You agree. “But we offer services which might be helpful to you.”

“I do not deal in favours. I can see that this meeting was a waste of time, you may go.” He waves the back of his hand to shoo you out, while his secretary grabs the door from the outside.

“I am not asking for a favour, but offering you my services. I’m the co-founder of a corporate image consulting firm. And come this time tomorrow, I believe you’ll be looking for someone within our realm of dealings.”

“And what makes you say that?” Lee asks, his words laced with cynicism. 

You lay out the first page of the article which Yoongi had sent you, stretching it across the wooden surface to place it in Mr. Lee’s view. ‘Real Estate Developer Lee Gungsang Faced Prior Allegations of Unlawful Evictions and Price Hiking.’ “This is slated for tomorrow morning’s front page.” 

Mr. Lee is quick to send his secretary off, the door shutting once again. “How do you know about this? These cases were settled before they made it anywhere near the courts.”

“I have my sources.” 

“Then stop this! I will pay whomever needs to be paid to prevent this from leaching out. You want the office space, it's yours.” He’s voice is desperate, you have him on the hook, the question now is, how long will he let you drag him for?

“That’s very generous of you, but nothing will stop this from going out tomorrow. My offer is simply to help you get ahead of it and lessen the damage.” You explain, revelling in the fact that money can’t hide everything.

“And how do you propose to do that?”

You pull out a contract for your serves. “I will need you to sign off on my services first. A small fee plus a far more reasonable price for a three year lease of the offices on the 14th floor of the Madeline Suites”

“Without knowing your plan, I think not.”

You give him a bright smile before mimicking his earlier statement. “I do not deal in favours Mr. Lee.”

He grumbles while taking the pen, eyeing you with a dark gaze as he signs on the dotted line.

With the ink still drying you hand over another small document. “Here are a few of my suggestions. Twenty percent of the commercial residences that you have just vacated will be handed over to non-profits for a drastically reduced monthly lease. I’ll even let you pick which you want to support.” 

He looks up at you mortified. “This is excessive.”

“No this is necessary. I’ve seen corporations do far more than this when they are not dealing with a scandal. Your accountants will agree with me that this is the best move, it can be seen as a donation and therefore tax deductible. For the evicted  private residences, I was thinking of partnering with a refugee resettlement program but we can discuss that more in depth later.” 

You carefully tuck away your contract in Lee’s file before dragging another concern to the forefront. “I do have one more request, before I leave today.”

“What more could you possibly want?” He scoffs.

You lean in to deliver your short but important demand. “A heads up.”

“I don’t know what you mean...”

“I mean if there are any other past dealings or actions which might impact your company I need to be aware of them.” There’s always more hidden in the dark, you have one of those secrets on hand now. You need to see if he’s willing to be upfront with you on every dealing of his past, otherwise you might be forced to dig him out from another grave a couple weeks from now. 

“There’s nothing else.” 

“Nothing?” You ask again as you pull out your phone ready to bring forward more evidence. 

“No.”

“So the knowledge of you having and hiding an illegitimate son... you don’t think that’s important? The existence of the only child of the Lee empire, isn’t newsworthy?”

“How did you-” The terror in his face looks to be even greater than the prior accusation. 

“You attempted to evict all of the residents who stayed in your residential apartment for over 10 years if they refused to agree with a massive lease hike. Park Jimin was the only one who wasn’t touched. He has no record of a job, living off what must be money given to him by his parents, so I looked into them. His father wasn’t listed but his late mother, Park Haesoon, used to work for your company, and 22 years ago she signed a NDA issued by your lawyer.” 

You open to Jimin’s public instagram page turning it around for his father to see. “He may take mostly after his mother, but I can still see a few clues to your family resemblance.”

“When does this one drop?” Lee asks in dismay.

“It’s not going to, at least, not from me or my source. We try not to deal in personal life consulting, but I am going to give you some advice in this matter. Get ahead of it.”

“My wife won’t hear of it.” Mr. Lee mutters through clenched teeth, it’s easy to see that this conversation has him very much on edge.

You nod seeing the crux of his dilemma. “I looked into the approximate date of his conception, you were newly married at the time, were you not?”

“Yes. She knows, but her family does not, they have a large political presence and we cannot afford to lose all support from them. Trust me, the boy is not worth the risk.”

“He’s your child!” You berate the CEO, your anger getting the better of you as you think of the emotional toll on Jimin. Not only did he lose his mother but his father won't even publicly acknowledge him. 

“I won’t be swayed on this matter. If you have nothing else to say you may leave.” Mr. Lee rises from his desk and once again gestures towards the door. “I’ll have keys to your new office space delivered to you tomorrow along with the lease. But I should warn you, if there is even a whisper of his name in public in conjunction with mine, I can assure you, your so-called firm won’t last another week.”

...

Less than a month later you and Hoseok have moved your entire enterprise to the new office space. You’re holding an open house for several different staff positions, when the most unlikely of applicants walks in your door, Park Jimin. 

He hands you a piece of paper which you can only guess is his resume, because your eyes fail to leave his face, your mouth unable to form words in your state of shock. Closing the door behind him, he gives you a nervous smile. “Judging from your expression, I take it you know who I am?”

You manage a single nod, still confused as to why he’s here, now, with you. It’s lucky you’re conducting the interviews alone, otherwise it would be difficult to explain your shock to Hoseok without exposing Jimin’s lineage. 

“I’ve been wanting to meet with you,” Jimin confesses, adding sheepishly, “My father told me of your meeting. He said you took a bit of an interest in me, even found my social media accounts.” 

“Oh, oh no.” You finally manage to sputter out, far more anxious with the younger man than his father. You never intended to meet Jimin, let alone have him find out you dug into some very personal aspects of his past and present. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t intend to invade your privacy. I was only trying to figure out what was going on. And when I learned the truth, I wanted him to own up to his mistake of hiding you.”

Jimin chuckles lightly, sitting down in front of you, “I didn’t come here looking for an apology Miss, I know why you did it. I merely wanted to meet one of the few people to ever successfully scare the shit out of my father.” 

The wide beaming smile accompanying his statement spurs a laugh from you, while also allowing you to relax in his presence. “Sometimes you have to intimidate these people to get them to do the right thing. But I’m sorry I wasn’t able to convince him to go public regarding everything.”

“That’s not your fault. In the end it was just nice to hear that there's someone who thinks I deserve better.” Jimin adds, with a look of sorrow leaching into his smile.

“Of course you do, but I must ask, why come here now?” You take a moment to confirm that it is in fact his resume that he’s handed you. ”I can’t imagine that you need a job.” He’s appearance alone is enough to tell you he’s buried in wealth, though his father has not given him the family name, it looks as if Jimin has gained some of the assets.  

“Actually that’s exactly what I was looking for.”

“Your father didn’t pressure you to come here to keep an eye on me did he?” You ask with scepticism. Keeping watch over possible threats wouldn’t be a completely off brand for those of his status. And with you knowing some of his deepest secrets you could likely be considered one of the biggest risks.

“No.” Jimin chuckles, briefly raising his hands in surrender. “I promise I’m here of my own volition. Money isn’t my biggest concern, I’ve been hoping to build connections. I want to use my time wisely and work with someone who is worthy of my focus, and that just so happens to be you.” He finishes with a suggestive smirk, making you wonder if you’ve won his affection too. 

“And what does your focus get me?” You ask, trying to weigh the benefits versus the risk. You doubt that Mr. Lee will respond kindly to you hiring his son, but if he continues to deny his son’s  existence then what right does he have to disagree? 

“Anything you require. I was interested in the posting for your secretary, but any position beneath you would suit me nicely.” 

...

There’s no way you’ll be able to convince Jimin to willingly change roles and work for Hoseok instead. But you can’t deny that your co-founder’s points are valid. 

Jimin greets you warmly as you enter your office. “Did you have a nice lunch?” 

“Yeah, it was good.” You respond, forcing out a smile.

“Really? Because you look upset.” 

You curse Jimin’s ability to read you at a time like this. “I promise, lunch was fine. Yoongi gave me some substantial leads.” You sigh sliding back in your seat. With your values shaken and morals questioned by Hoseok, you are deeply in need of someone to brace yourself on. Wanting to step out of the realm of responsibility and control even if it’s just for a moment, you make a request to Jimin. “Would you go fetch Jungkook for our meeting?”

“I can just call him in.” He makes the case looking reluctant to leave your side.

“Please Jimin just go get him. I need a few minutes for a personal call.”

Jimin looks at you crestfallen before finally leaving. It’s not often you keep things from him, he can scope you out too well for that. But Kim Namjoon’s actual role in your life is the one secret you feel is the most imperative to hide from him.

You pull out your cell, not wanting to use his number on your work phone. After two rings he picks up. “Couldn’t wait a few more hours to hear my voice baby girl?”

You're too embarrassed to admit he’s right, settling on another excuse for your call. “N-no I just wanted to let you know that I’ve sent someone your way... sir.”

“Don’t lie to me I can hear the need in your voice.” He chuckles lightly as he taunts you. “Your reference already reached out to me. I’m excited to play with him, is he just as handsome as he sounds?”

“More so.”

Namjoon hums on the line in gratification. “My babygirl, giving me another pet to play with.” 

You blush from the praise. Taehyung makes the sixth person you’ve suggested following the charity ball you met Namjoon at a couple years ago. Where he, much like you, was secretly scoping out potential clients. Every one of those patrons you’ve given him since then has been his pet, but you, you’re his babygirl. 

“I was wondering...” Namjoon’s carries on, in a tone far more hesitant than usual. “Tonight would you be willing to try something a little unconventional? Would you like to share him?”

“W-would that be okay?” He’s never suggested adding another to your sessions before, but you can’t deny you’re intrigued by the prospect.

“He mentioned an interest in you, and after discussing his needs I feel that I require someone other than myself to pin his desires on. You’ll be the carrot while I’ll be the stick. Do you think you could do that for me?”  Namjoon proposes in a low purr dragging every heated thought and possibility to the forefront of your mind.  

“Yes sir.” Your response is instant, with little thought required. Helping Namjoon with Taehyung? You’d be a fool to turn down the opportunity. There’s a small knock on your office door with the return of Jimin and Jungkook trailing behind him. You start to panic while still on the phone with Namjoon. “I’ll see you later then?”

Namjoon can of course detect the change in your tone, but instead of letting you off the hook he pulls you further. “Did someone walk in on you babygirl? I take it they don’t know about this side of you?”

“No they don’t.”

“No sir.” He calls out your lack of decorum, an error which you know you’ll pay for later. “Such a shame they’re missing out. What do you think they would say if they knew of my plans for you tonight? How I intend to hang you like forbidden fruit above another man. Do you think they would approve?” 

Your eyes widen as Namjoon continues and Jungkook takes the seat in front of you with Jimin standing behind him. You clear your throat and hold up your finger to them, gesturing for another minute. Turning away to hide your face as you continue to try and end the call. But hanging up on one’s dom is never advisable, condemning you to listen for as long as he wishes to torment. 

“I bet you would like them watch, wouldn’t you?” Namjoon asks, egging on your sinful thoughts, transferring them from Taehyung over to your co-workers.

You shift your thighs trying to dispel the building need as you consider the notation of them watching. Imagining Jungkook’s wide eyes taking in the sight, likely with a hand on his cock, he’s an innocent man with strong desires. You’ve known others like him before, they act with naivete but when confronted with an opportunity for more, they don’t hesitate to gorge on what is presented to them.

And Jimin, would he accept your darker needs? You wish he would, desperately wanting him to play along, to help mould you into submission. Your head now filled with thoughts of kneeling before him taking him in your mouth while he christens you a good girl. If only you could be sure that he wouldn’t react like most people, like those who condemned Taehyung. Your eyes flutter back over to your secretary who is looking at you with deep suspicion. You desperately need to end the call or risk giving yourself away. “I should probably-”

“Am I embarrassing you baby girl?” Namjoon teases with an amused laugh. “Does that mean I’m right?”

“Yes...”

“Yes sir.” Namjoon reminds you once again. “I’ll release you for now, but I better see you here at seven o’clock sharp. Is that understood?”

You breathe a sigh of relief at the release.  “Yes sir.” After finally hanging up, you offer up an apology. “Sorry about that.”

“Who was it?” Jimin inquires with a soft tone, but  a quick lick to his lips shows his intentions to be far from innocent. His clenched fists and hovering nature further pointing towards jealousy.

“No one important.” You smile through the lie, careful in your attempt to comfort him. It’s pointless to keep acting in this way, but you still can’t bear the thought of disheartening his feelings or pushing him away. 

...

After your meeting with Jungkook, you're left with a stack of paperwork and your ever persistent lack of concentration as you try to figure out what can be done with Jimin. Should you just tell him the issue, would it help or would it make the situation worse? If he knows how he is perceived then will the affection stop, and if it does, will you struggle with that loss?

“Can I walk you to your car Miss?” Jimin asks with his jacket in hand. You check the time, reading just after five. So lost in thought you had accomplished almost nothing in the last few hours of the day.

“I think I might just stay here until I have to leave for my appointment, I still have a bit more work to do.” You explain rubbing your hands over your face as you pull yourself from your daze.

“Do you want me to stay too then?” 

“No, I couldn’t ask that of you. But before you go I’d like to discuss something” You gesture to the seat across from you which he takes with hesitation. You’re usually not so formal and he can clearly spot the difference. You open your mouth and pause trying to find the right words as his eyes shine in your direction. The evening sun pouring into the room bathing his skin in with golden light makes it so much harder to stick to the issue at hand. You eventually resort to staring at the irrelevant papers on your desk as you open with your concern. 

“I’m worried that our actions towards each other imply that our relationship is not strictly professional.” You blurt it out quickly, hating every word that crosses your lips.

“Have I been making you uncomfortable Miss?” Jimin’s expression falls along with his question, the heartbreak ringing out clear in his voice. 

“No, no. It’s just, I’m concerned about how others see our interactions.”

“Oh, so someone said something to you then?” 

“Hoseok mentioned that a few people think we appear to be a bit more than boss and secretary.” You know it cowardly to bring Hoseok into this, but the information is second hand. You can’t be sure what others have said exactly.

“Well you do know more about me than most.” Jimin laughs lightly. 

“That’s not what they are implying. They think we are engaged in a sexual relationship.”

“And...” He draws the word out as if the implication is nothing, implying there should be a better reason for your concerns. 

“We aren’t Jimin!”

“Well, there's only one way to fix that.” He stands up leaning towards you over your desk. “You can’t say you haven’t thought about it. We could keep it a secret if you’d like, no one has to know.”

You doubt Jimin could keep a relationship between the two of you hidden, with the way he dotes on you already, you’re one passionate night away from finding three dozen roses on your desk. “Someone would find out, and the fall out-”

“Fuck the fall out,” Jimin states with resolve, reaching out his fingers tucking back a strand of your hair before curling beneath your chin. “I’m tired of this charade. Hoseok only said something because he’s jealous. He’s jealous that you want me as much as I want you.”

“Jimin,” You whisper. “Even if that was the case, that still doesn’t make it right.” You pull back from his touch. “You should go. Think about what I said, because if we can’t maintain at least some level of restraint and professionalism... then you might be better off working for someone else in the office.”

“So you’d rather keep your social image than be happy with me?” Jimin accuses, the usual warmth having completely vanished from his face.

“It’s not like that. My standing is my life, it’s my career, any blemish would destroy everything I have.” You attempt to express the fear inside you, the weight that bears on you every day. You already have so many secrets and liabilities, but one as close and extensive as a relationship with him might finally crush you and everything you’ve built. “I like you, I really do, but I can’t take the risk. You have to understand, I’m not like you. I don’t have a secret trust fund to fall back on.”  

Jimin looks as though you’ve stabbed him, pulling away he heads to the exit. “I’m sorry I’m not worth the risk. You know, I thought you were better than that, but it would seem you’re just like everyone else.” 

The door slamming between you echoes through the office as you sag in your chair. Never in all your years have you ever sunk so low. By taking him on you wanted to ensure Jimin’s happiness, to show him his value despite the lack of acknowledgement  from his father, but now it seems you’ve fallen into the same role as those who have hurt him before.

  ...

You type your code into Namjoon’s door, stepping into his hall quickly and shutting the door behind you. It’s just before seven and usually you find him in his living room already waiting, but today it’s empty. Not wanting to disturb him, you take a seat on the couch and wait patiently for him to join you. 

You feel ready to fold in on yourself as you continue to dwell on your argument with Jimin. If you laid out boundaries earlier you likely wouldn’t be where you are now. Hating yourself over his confession, and your inability to accept it. 

There’s movement from the bedroom door as Namjoon’s partner Seokjin comes out to greet you. You look up in bewilderment as he takes your hand, pulling you off the couch. “Namjoon has already started with the other client, so he sent me to fetch you.” 

You nod understanding Namjoon’s divergence from the norm, it wouldn’t be safe practice for him to leave Taehyung alone in a precarious position. Now looking to the door with curiosity, you’re excited by what lustful visions will greet you on the other side. But when Seokjin presents something to you it’s clear that you won’t get to see those sights.

“You’ve been asked to wear this.” He holds out a wide silken strip, one that Namjoon has used as a blindfold in the past. You allow Seokjin to cover your eyes, with a touch far more gentle than you know Namjoon’s to be. You don’t want kindness, craving instead to be broken in by the man in the other room, especially after the damage you’ve done today. The loss of your vision will have to be punishment enough for the time being. 

“Does he want me to undress too?” You ask, touching the silk over your eyes, you're completely blind and already longing for the next step. 

“No he wishes to save that pleasure for himself.”

You smirk thinking he might, you’ve been wearing his gift all day it’s only right that he gets to see it first.  

There’s a knock and a click of the door before Seokjin takes you in hand again, leading you in. The air is warmer and heavier than that of the living room, making it impossible to draw a fresh breath. 

Seokjin pushes down on your shoulder, a wordless order to kneel. The plush carpet meeting your knees as you lower yourself, if only you could reach out to get a better sense of what’s in front of you, but form dictates that you keep your hands on your lap. 

The bedroom door closes, signalling Seokjin's departure. Sending one last wave of clean air before you're smothered once again. Locked away for the night with your master and his new pet. There’s a small creek from the mattress and the familiar rattle of restraints against the bedpost. You can just barely make out the tone of Namjoon’s low whisper as he speaks to the current tenant of the bed. 

Footsteps land to your left, muffled by the wall to wall but still sending vibrations through the floor.  As Namjoon approaches, your heart pounds wondering what his first move against you will be. He takes his sweet time letting the anticipation build as your chest continues to heave in its attempts to take in the thick air. You keep your posture, maintaining your stance with the knowledge that he will inspect you. Head lowered, hands on thighs, perched on your toes as your knees dig into the ground. Your legs soon start to tremble as your feet strain to bear the weight.

Namjoon settles right in front of you, the slow draw of his breath reaches your ears, while the heat of his exhale hits your face. A hand trails up the outside of your thigh stilling the tremor in your legs with a forceful grip. You freeze wondering if your jitters will cost you, you can’t let him find fault not if you want him to reward you with his presence. 

But as he takes your chin tightly between his index and his thumb, you know you're in the clear. He tilts your head up as you breathe a sigh of relief. “Such a good girl, setting the perfect example.” His fingers slide down petting the column of your throat with a firm touch. “I was so happy to receive your picture this morning, did you wear the gift all day as ordered?”

“Yes sir.” You pant back, eager for him to see for himself. 

“It wasn’t too hard for you then, to go so long in such a confined state?”

“No sir.”

“Good girl,” He purrs in your ear as he starts unfastening your shirt. He hesitates on the buttons for a moment. “Babygirl, would you care to tell me why you're wearing a men’s shirt?”

You swallow not wanting to admit that it’s the fault of the man currently lying in his bed. You plan to take the fall, wanting Namjoon’s undivided attention even if it’s in the form of a punishment. “I spilled something on mine sir.”  

“So clumsy.” He has the shirt completely off now revealing the corset for him and likely Taehyung to see. Namjoon helps you to stand, unzipping your skirt he pushes it to the floor. You feel so helpless without your sight but Namjoon doesn’t seem to mind assisting. He uses the soft fabric of the shirt to dab at the sweat beading on your skin. “Who, may I ask, clothed you in theirs? Such an expensive label, he must think highly of you.”

You shift in place, made uncomfortable by your inability to answer. Knowing if you say his name thoughts of him will be summoned to your mind. You don’t deserve to think of him at such a time, not after you led him on and left him dry.

“You don’t wish to tell me?” The feel of Namjoon’s breath leaves you, the sounds of his feet  indicating he’s moved to the right of you. Heading to a space you know to be occupied by a table and closet full of his tools. There’s a scrap of metal and what sounds like the jingle of buckles. 

“No sir.”

“And why is that?” Fingers trail up your arm as Namjoon signals his return to your side. 

“Because I’m not allowed to have him sir.”

“A noble response.” Namjoon reasons while he wraps the leather strap of a familiar collar around your neck. “But I still plan to get that name from you before we’re done.” He buckles it swiftly checking the tightness with two fingers. You thought him finished but he progresses to cuff your wrists in leather too, tethering them together in front of you. 

He leans in again with a hushed request, “Still know your safe word?” You nod repeating is back to him before he leads you on towards the bed. 

Namjoon stands behind you as he presents you to his new pet. When you gave Taehyung Namjoon’s number you hadn’t been expecting this but you can’t deny enjoying the prospect. But you find the silence and lack of reaction from him unnerving. “I asked him not to make a sound,” Namjoon explains, “And he’s abiding by my rules so well it’s he?” 

Namjoon takes your hands helping you to feel the current state in which Taehyung is interned. A Leather cuff just like yours binds one of his wrists with a short chain leading to bedpost. You imagine that his other limbs are restricted to the other corners of the bed, for Namjoon has bound you in the same state before. 

“Can he see?” You ask Namjoon wondering if he has been left blind too, or if he’s eyes are watching you now.

“Can he see you? He can babygirl, in fact, he hasn’t looked away once, and why would he?” Namjoon sits you down on the large bed to join Taehyung before pulling down the matching underwear to your corset. “They’re so wet, have you been soaking these all day?” 

You nod in response. A delighted Namjoon makes an offer to Taehyung. “Would you like a taste pet? A reward for being so good.” Namjoon revels in his situation with a chuckle, the man beneath you must have nodded. “Then open up.” You know what a taste means for Namjoon, those panties of yours are most certainly shoved into Taehyung's mouth. He lets out a groan of satisfaction at the welcome intrusion.

Namjoon’s hands find your waist dragging you up further on to the bed with your knees now resting on the mattress. “You’re going to straddle him for me babygirl.” He shifts you over pulling up one of your legs to settle them on either side of the man beneath you. Your knees bent with your calves coming to rest against his bare hips. Without his billowy clothes he is far more slight than you expected, but his skin feels firm and toned. 

You slowly move to lower yourself knowing what you will come down on top of as you sit, but Namjoon seems to have other plans in mind. He takes your bound wrist, lifting them above your head and latching the cuffs to a chain in the rafters of the canopy bed. Once fixed in place he tests your limitations, a quick tug to show you even with your arms fully extended you are only able to lower yourself to half a kneel. You groan in frustration with the realization you can’t move any closer to the cock that rests below you. It’s just as he promised, hung like forbidden fruit above another man. Your dominant’s flare for the poetic never failing to surprise you.

“Problem babygirl?” Namjoon cooes in your ear. “Do you have something you want to say?”

“No sir.”

“Good, because if I recall you still need to be punished for your lack of formality on the phone earlier today.” 

Your stomach drops as you realize he’s going to discipline you right now, in full view of Taehyung. The heat rises to your face at the thought of being demeaned in front of another. Namjoon’s hand cups your bare ass, readying it for the assault. “You failed to call me sir twice, three for each lapse should do it.”

While the first strike eases you in, those that follow are not so gentle. The ring of his index biting your flesh with each impact. The third strike is so strong you pivot forward on your knees, your back arching as you bare forward still confined to the corset and chains. The weight of your body pulls painfully on your shoulders for a brief second, but Namjoon is there to catch you. Stopping you before you can slip and more, and propping you back in place before continuing. 

One hand lays firmly on your stomach to prevent the shift from happening again, while the other rubs the curve of your ass mapping where he should strike next. You can feel the warmth in your skin as the blood rises to the surface in reaction to his beating. Your nerves are caught in the struggle between pain and pleasure, even as the sixth and final blow lands. 

“Good girl.” Namjoon whispers his touch disappearing, as you ease down against your restraints. You hang completely by your wrists while your legs quake from the shock. Every nerve in your body feels as though it’s been left on fire with nothing to quench the flames. Leaving you to hang there for what seems like eternity.

“Sir?” You whisper in the dark as the heat continues to build inside you. Wondering where he has gone your body reacts, begging for the return of his attention with a dripping cunt. And with Taehyung below that can only mean the steady drip of your arousal is left to fall on him.

“Babygirl you’re making such a mess.” Namjoon confirms along with a groan from the man beneath you. “But he appears to be leaking too. Do you want some?” You nod eager for a taste. 

Namjoon obliges, grabbing your throat in one hand, he presses a damp finger to your lips for you to take. Your mouth latches over the offered digit, allowing the bitter fluid to sweep over your tongue. You're forced to let it sit there unable to swallow as the grip on your throat tightens, with the strap of the collar digging into your skin. Your mouth fills with saliva prompting you to close it despite your desperate need for air. 

“Does he taste good?” Namjoon wickedly possesses knowing you can barely even nod. It’s when you start to tremble that he finally releases your airway. 

You swallow quickly before letting your mouth hang open in a pant. With your lungs still restricted by the corset your breathing comes in short shuddering waves. “Yes sir, so good.”

“I think he likes having you drench him, shall we give him more?”

“Please.” You beg but Namjoon suddenly delivers a staggering blow to your backside, indicating your misstep. You’re left gasping from the sudden impact, swinging in the restraints as you try to recoil. “Please sir.” Your plea comes again this time with the proper decorum.  

There’s a crinkle of what sounds like a condom wrapper as Namjoon readies himself behind you. His fingers damp with lubrication find your back entrance, your tight hole giving way to a single finger. “You’ve been training for me like I asked?”

“Yes sir.” You almost come at the thought of it along with pleasure with the swirling digit. You’ve dabbled in anal before testing out a few toys, but a few weeks ago he sent you a plug with a tapered t-shaped end, giving you strict orders to wear it to work the following day. Unfortunately that was the date you had scheduled a meeting with your whole team. You were a flustered mess as you fought through your presentation, Jimin’s presence by your side making it so much more difficult to maintain control of your arousal . But the full day of public and torturous stimulation was worth it, for the reward that night was a call from Namjoon. His orders led you through every action of self pleasure.  Telling you when and where to touch before finally directing you to come. You’ve used the item several times on your own since, knowing your practice would help you in this moment. You wanted to make Namjoon proud and take him with little resistance. That desire now intensified with having Taehyung as an audience.

“Then you're ready to take me in front of him?” 

You nod gripping chains of the restraints as Namjoon eases into you. “Just relax.” His hands glide down your shoulders and back, coming to rest splayed across your hips, the tips of his finger root under the corset and dig into your stomach. Your grip eases as you lean back into him. “That’s it.” He mutters quietly as you stretch to accommodate him. “Good girl.”

After taking a few inches Namjoon pushes down on the front of your corset bowing the metal latches back to so they release, with a few clicks and swift presses the garment is off allowing you to breathe deeper than you have all day. 

“God you should see him babygirl, he’s so ruined by the sight of you. You have him panting for you.” You wish you could curse Namjoon for his choice to blindfold you and silence Taehyung, you would take any punishment that came of it, but all you can muster is a gasp while he continues to fill you more. “I wonder how he’ll react,” One of Namjoon’s hands leaves your hips coming to rest with something soft against your aching clit. “When he sees you come.” With a click the object vibrates, throwing you back completely onto Namjoons cock from the shock.

You catch Namjoon’s lustful groan between your cries. He starts to thrust inside of you one hand gripping your chest while the other holds the vibrate down in place despite your bucking hips. It doesn’t take long for you to completely fold. As the heat inside you finally reaches its peak you shatter, your head falling back on Namjoon’s shoulder as you convulse and moan. With nothing for your cunt to clench your legs grip the trussed man between them. He too lets out a sinful groan as the fluids from your fold continue to drip down your legs meet his adjoining skin. 

Namjoon turns the device off and slips out, the bed shifts as he moves in front of you. When his hand cups your face you lean into his touch. “You okay?”

You nod hoping he’ll be lenient with your lack of speech. You hear him whisper as he checks in with Taehyung too. “I’m going to take these now.” Namjoon must finally be freeing him from the waded underwear of yours.

Namjoon’s hands find you again, playing with the arousal dripping down your legs as he drags his fingers up to the source. A finger grazes your folds slipping between without penetrating. You pull desperately against your restraints hoping that it might find its way inside.  

“So are you going to tell me who you’re not allowed to have?” Namjoon asks again. “Or do I have to let you hang here all night?” 

“My secretary...” You give in with a  whisper, hoping that Taehyung won’t hear.

“And what’s his name? Say it and I’ll give you what you want.” 

The deal is too good for you to resist, you last only a couple more seconds before finally giving in. Crying out, “Jimin,” as two of Namjoon’s fingers breach you. Your sopping slit squelching as he curls his fingers. 

“There it is.” Namjoon sighs, his other hand brushing your cheek. “Is he the reason you’re so worked up tonight babygirl?”

“Y-yes sir.” You stutter as his fingers continue. He gives you another minute of bliss before removing his digits. 

“You’re going to do something for me, okay?” Namjoon asks. You nod as he continues to hold your face. “That man between your legs, you are going to fuck him and imagine Jimin as you do so, is that clear?” 

“Yes sir.”

“Is that okay with you pet?” He asks the other occupant, who still remains silent with his answers. The sound of another condom wrapper, comes as your confirmation.  Taehyung lets out an unexpected high pitched whine, likely due to the pressure that comes with the latex being rubbed down his shaft. You’re already so invested in the lie that he’s even starting to sound like Jimin. 

Namjoon is once again behind you. You can hear the rattle of the length of chain that holds you up and as he sinks back into you, his cock slipping in far easier this time, your body gladly welcomes the fullness of his intrusion.  He then lowers you inch by inch, with little strength left in your legs you are relying only on the restraints and Namjoon to hold you up. After gaining a bit more freedom you can feel the tip of a cock brushing up against you. Namjoon’s arm comes to rest on your thigh as he lines the erection up for you to take it inside. It’s a slow descent, as you stretch to accommodate both of them. Your thankful Namjoon’s mercy for easing you down gradually. 

When you bottom out Namjoon pulls the chain down from the rafters he releases the length from your cuffs, but rather than discarding it he attaches it to your collar, tugging on it as if it’s a leash. Though your hands are still bound together you have the freedom to rest them on the man laying down in front of you. You take pleasure in dragging the tips of your fingers across his skin, feeling his abs flex and his cock twitch inside you as you do so. 

Namjoon starts to thrust, keeping a close hold on your collar. While he pushes you are sent up and down on what you desperately want to be Jimin’s thick cock. After a few thrusts you are shoved forward entirely by Namjoon, colliding with the man beneath you. Your chest is pushed into his, as your bound hands are pinned between the two of you. While your head is left to rest on his shoulder, the tip of your nose is able to graze his neck. As you breathe in your mind continues to play tricks, the smell coming off him mimics that of the cologne your secretary wears, rather than the scent of Taehyung. 

Namjoon must have unbound his legs as they bend up to cradle your own from behind his hips bucking into yours, with both men taking you at a steady pace.

You move in closer to his neck, with a lick you taste the salt of his skin showing  your intentions. Biting down on the spot, you suck in deeply as your teeth dig in even harder. The carnal groans you receive from him sending shivers to your spine. There’s the sound of a soft slap, Namjoon didn’t hit you, but the man beneath you returns to his ordered silence.

Namjoon thrusts even harder, pushing you into his chest repeatedly. The thought of being fucked into Jimin’s embrace is too much to bear. Your cunt clenches as you continue envisioning your secretary, and how you're grinding your clit against his pelvis. 

You cry out over the swelling girths inside you, knowing their both likely to come soon. Clenching down one last time you dissolve in the pleasure and contentment. Namjoon finishes first remaining inside while his pet comes too. He leaves you there laying upon your imagined Jimin, in your daze  you can barely move let alone focus on reality. With a wave of exhaustion you start to slip from consciousness, but not before one last praise reaches your ears. Your delirium grants you the satisfaction of hearing the voice of Jimin whisper, “Good girl.”

...

You can’t remember the last time you slept so well. You woke early to find Namjoon had taken care of you in the night, he released your wrist cuffs, and removed your blindfold, after you had passed out from the physical exertion. The only restraint to remain was your collar which he asked you to wear today. Taehyung was sadly already gone, but you can’t deny it was nice to have Namjoon to yourself before you left. 

Now as you head off to work, showered and freshly dressed, with a turtleneck hiding your gift, you check your phone for the first time. Finding a string of apologetic messages sent from Jimin in the early hours of the morning. You reply apologizing too and asking to revisit the subject as soon as you get into work. Thankfully he agrees, the smiling emoji he ends his text on sends a wave of relief through you.

You step in the front entrance of your building ready to handle and objectively listen to Jimin’s thoughts and concerns. While you wait for the elevator your phone vibrates listing a call from an unknown number. “Hello?”

“Hey it’s Taehyung. Hope you don’t mind, I stole your personal number from my father.”

“Taehyung...” Heat starts to rise in your face at the thought of last night. The elevator arrives and you quickly step in. “No, not at all, to what do I owe the honour of this call.”

“No need to be so formal,” He giggles at you.

“Sorry, habit,” You respond. “What can I do for you?” 

“I wanted to thank you for yesterday...” Taehyung starts off. 

But his words are soon interrupted by someone shouting, “Hold the door.” You comply, pushing the button to keep them open, while trying to keep your focus on your conversation with Taehyung.

“...It’s not often that I meet someone who I can be so open with. I called the man you recommended and I’ve scheduled my first session with him tomorrow.”  

You freeze, unable to fully comprehend what he’s saying, surely he misspoke. It can’t be his first session. “W-what do you mean your first session is tomorrow? You were there-” The collar hidden beneath your turtleneck feels as though it’s tightening around your throat. “Last night, I saw you-” The line goes dead as the elevator closes and starts to ascend. It was Taehyung in the bed with you and Namjoon last night. You saw... nothing you saw nothing because of the blindfolded that you were asked to wear.

“Everything okay?” You jump at the sound of the other voice, forgetting that some else had gotten into the elevator. Looking up you find Jimin there beaming at you, his head tilted from his query.

“Namjoon,” You flutter with your phone, too panicked to even greet your secretary properly. “I need to call Namjoon.” But the line won’t connect, not with you in the elevator. “Fuck...” You try again your patience not willing to wait the minute it’ll take to disembark on your floor.  

You are almost there when the elevator shudders and stops. The sudden halt sends you off balance, but Jimin’s there to grab hold of you before you can fall. You thank him before stepping back and putting a bit of distance between the two of you again.

Jimin turns his attention to the panel, pushing the call button, he waits for someone to answer, but the call remains silent. 

While he continues in his attempt to make contact, every scene of the night before floods back to your memory as you try to piece everything together. It was Taehyung, it had to be. He must just be playing a stupid joke. He was surely going to shout ‘gotcha’ before the phone disconnected, but you won’t know for certain until someone can get you off this blasted lift. You sink to the floor and Jimin follows, unable to reach anyone on the outside. 

Despite your best efforts to rationalize what happened, your panicked breaths fail to slow, Spots start appearing in your vision as the elevator sways around you. Your breakfast threatens to make another appearance on the polished marble floor. 

“It’ll be fine. Someone will notice soon.” Jimin attempts to comfort you but even that won’t quash the fear raging inside you.

“It’s not just that...” You whisper. “Something happened last night. I need to call Namjoon, I need to figure out...” Who was actually in that bed with you. Your confusion and panic break free sending you into a fit of tears as you hug your knees to your chest.

“Hush, it’s okay.” Jimin readjusts, moving in front of you and taking your hands in his. He leans towards you as he whispers in your ear. “Don’t cry babygirl.”

Your eyes snap to look at Jimin in alarm. Your prior worries are nothing compared to the terror which takes hold now. “H-how do you know that name?” Your stuttered words barely make their way past your lips.

“I think you know the answer to that question.” He pulls at the collar of his shirt allowing you to spot a large red mark on his neck, right where you had bitten the man you once thought to be Taehyung. “I wanted to wait a bit longer, I wanted more moments like we had last night but it would seem that someone had to go and ruin it.” You pull back but Jimin’s hands shift to take hold of your wrists, mimicking the manacles that embraced you the night before. “Are you not happy babygirl? You got your wish. And I... I got what I’ve always wanted.”

“This is so wrong Jimin! You knew I thought you were someone else! You knew that I wouldn’t have done that last night if I knew the truth.” 

“Even though I was the one you really wanted babygirl?”

“Stop calling me that! Just because of what happened last night does not make me yours. You lied to Namjoon. You said that I sent you. You told him you were Taehyung!”

Jimin gives a wicked laugh in response to your accusations. “Oh, but you are mine. Namjoon is the one who’s been keeping things from you. He’s been in my employ far longer than yours.” He coos as his fingers tighten their grip on you. “I was the reason you were introduced to him, and I was the one who bestowed you with that name shortly after.”

“No, that’s not possible, Namjoon and I, we met at a charity event.”

“Hosted by my father. Where I told him to make himself known to you, to entice you to become one of his pets. I may have acted the sub last night but I am the one who holds Namjoon’s reins, I always have.”

“No he would never do that! He’s considerate and-”

“Had so much to gain by dominating you on my behalf. Money, power, and an assurance of safety, he would’ve been a fool to turn my offer down. Especially since you were so willing to play along with him. I dare say he enjoyed his time with you, but I was the one who permitted him to touch you. I was there to listen, to read, and to direct every conversation. Those gifts he told you to wear to the office, they were all from me.” He lets go of one of your wrists to pull down the neck of your shirt. Revealing the leather band strapped around your neck. “Today it’s the collar, yesterday it was the corset, and a few weeks ago...” Jimin smirks as he recalls the memory to your mind. “You barely made it through that meeting thanks to my gift.”

  It’s impossible to swallow the admissions coming from him, but regardless of what may be true or false, you won’t stand for any of it. “You’ve had your fun, but this ends now.” You reach up attempting to remove the collar but Jimin pushes you to the floor pinning your arms above you as he straddles you. The elevator wavers from the struggle, teetering as you lay captive beneath him. 

“I don’t think you understand the situation you’ve placed yourself in. I hold in my possession your darkest secrets. One’s that will ruin you if they make their way out. Your illegal activity with a sex worker, your inappropriate sexual conduct with your secretary. Not to mention the names and dubious activities of every client you’ve recommended to Namjoon’s services.”  

“Why... why are you doing this?” 

“Because you found me. I worked so hard to exploit my father from the outside, getting everything I wanted without the threat of public exposure. I couldn’t let you ruin it all. When we first met I considered you a threat, but then I saw how easy and enjoyable it was to mould to my will. The more intimate you become with someone the more power you give them over you. Simply being your secretary isn’t enough, not if I want you in a more pliable state.” Jimin hushed whisper mixes with a haunting giggle as his lips come to your ear. “I plan to bend you to fit every one of my needs.”

“You’re psychotic!” You lash out trying to throw him off but he stems your revolt by planting himself further down on to you, sitting on your chest as the elevator sways.

“Psychotic? No, I am simply a man who found his passion amidst his revenge. I know what I desire, and vengeance has taught me how best to take it. So if you want to keep yourself and everything else around you from falling, I suggest you play along like a good girl. Or I promise you, my punishments won’t be as kind as what you’ve experienced before.”

“What is it that you want?” You ask, already fearing his answer. He has you trapped in a gilded cage with him, where one misstep will send you plummeting to meet your end. Nothing that comes accompanied by such threats can be palatable.

“At work? To keep the status quo, I’ll remain your secretary, only so I can keep a better hold on you.” 

“Hoseok won’t agree to that. He already thinks I should ditch you. I should have listened to him.” 

“Then you will make him agree or he might have an accident, much like your accountant did. He too thought we were too close, even threatened to say something. Don’t worry I saved us from him, just as I’ll save us from Hoseok if you can’t convince him to back off. Do you think you can get him to agree now?”

You give a solemn nod, with Hoseok on the line you have no choice.

“After hours, we’ll drop the middleman.” Jimin lowers himself further on to you, laying down on top, his weight flattening you to the floor. With his head coming to rest on your restrained arm as he whispers further plans. “Every night you’ll come to me instead, and every morning you’ll have a new gift to wear. When we step off this elevator you’ll act as if nothing is wrong. You will go about business as usual, is that clear babygirl?”

You stifle a sob staring directly up and away from his eyes, not daring to give him the satisfaction of your fear. With little else to cling to, all you can do is agree for the time being, as much as it pains you, you choke out your compliance. “Yes...” 

“Yes what?” Jimin purrs, his lips faintly touching your ear. “Address me properly, or I will find ways to discipline you right here on this lift.” His fingers tighten and nails bite into your skin.

“Yes sir,” you whine as a plea for him to stop. 

Jimin mercifully lessens his hold on your wrists, hitting you instead with a smirk and befouled praise. “Good girl. I knew you’d finally see that I’m worth the risk.”

...

#bts smut #yandere bts #namjoon smut #taehyung smut #jimin smut #namjoon x reader #taehyung x reader #jimin x reader #bts x reader #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts reader insert #bts thriller au #bts office au #yandere jimin #namjoon #taehyung #jimin #kim namjoon #kim taehyung #park jimin #bts level of restraint

[vintage-writes]

Lilac Eyes| Poe x Fem!Reader

Request: "Poe x female reader, Soulmate au, Fluff to smut, Sub reader and Dom Poe"

Pairing: Edgar Allan Poe x Fem!Reader

Summary: (Soulmate Au) You are working for the local police form when your superior asks you to investigate a man that may or may not be tied to the most recent events concerning The Guild. However, as soon as Edgar Allan Poe steps through the door, you are no longer concerned about your investigation.

Warnings: NSFW, Fluff to Smut. Semi-Public sex, Dom!Poe x Sub!Fem!Reader. Begging. Unsafe Sex (Do not do this). Self Degradation.

Word Count: 2730

A/N: Poe is so pretty that it was so hard to pick a picture to use. Thank You for the request >-< Also I may have gotten a little carried away with the smut. Enjoy :)

18+ ONLY

_____________________________

________________________________________________

“His name is Edgar Allan Poe”, Chief Tanaka says as he drops a file on your desk.

You glance at the yellow file over your mug of steaming coffee before extending a hand to lazily flip through it. The file contains very little. Most of the usual stuff, but nothing out of the ordinary. Although, despite having combed through his background, not many photos are listed. In fact it seems as though the most recent photo is six years old. How strange.

“He’s a detective from America, not exactly from a sinister background. The only thing odd would be the rest of his file. Where’s the last six years?”

“That is everything we know”

You quirk an eyebrow at your superior, not being able to hide your surprise. Surely not.

“It appears he went into seclusion six years ago, from there I believe he joined the guild.”

“The group that tried to destroy Yokohama? How come that isn’t represented here?”

The guild. An all American group that had travelled to Japan and almost destroyed Yokohama by dropping a giant airship on it. You’re not quite sure what their end goal was, only that they disbanded shortly after and most remaining members are on the run.

“The Armed Detective Agency has denied his involvement with The Guild. This is simply a hunch of mine that I’d like to investigate privately. I’d like you to track him and verify this. He often frequents a traditional restaurant in Oribu square. The owner contacted me this morning to let me know that he has a reservation at seven this evening.”

The agency has always been incredibly reliable. They’ve always solved cases with ease. Although, many of their members do seem rather strange. In any case, if the Agency says he’s unaffiliated with the guild then chances are, he’s unaffiliated with the guild. It would be a waste of resources to track him now. To continue the case would be to insinuate that the Agency is withholding information. You open your mouth to voice your thoughts but are met with a look of warning. This isn’t a matter up for discussion. Instead you cough awkwardly before shoving the papers back into the file.

“Of Course, Sir. I’ll leave in a moment. The matter will be resolved with haste.”

______________________

Two hours later you’re sitting in your car combing through the file again. At the end of the day, the most suspicious thing about him is his sudden disappearance for six years and his sudden move to Japan. And while the timing does line up a little too perfectly, it’s not quite enough to incriminate him. Where Chief Tanaka even found him is a mystery in itself.

Your eyes roam over the photo. It’s old. It’s also probably not very useful. His features are difficult to make out and his eyes are covered by his hair. Perhaps his face is handsome but the image makes it hard to tell. On top of that, it’s not as though he has lovely light purple hair. That would just make him stick out like a sore thumb to you. The only colour you can see is that of your soulmate’s eye colour but who on this planet would have light purple eyes. Perhaps the universe is playing a cruel joke on you. The colour is very pretty but too strange. How can it possibly belong to a person?

You shake the thought from your mind. Now is not the time.

You throw the file under the seat and slip out of your car. It’s about time you meet this mysterious man for yourself.

_________

The restaurant is very fancy. Traditional Japanese styled and decorated with what appears to be priceless artworks. You dress up nicely to fit in, donning a short strapless dress that hugs your figure well. You only hope that the colours work together. You walk in and meet with the owner who informs you that Poe has yet to arrive. He leads you to the private room that was set aside, you enter but leave the door open. For a brief moment, you wonder if he really is affiliated at all or if you’re just chasing after a defenseless man. You glance at the private room. A defenceless man with a lot of money.

Out of the corner of your eye you see a flash of purple. The light lilac colour slashes across an interesting looking painting. Various shades of grey streak over the painting. You wonder what it really looks like. You make a mental note that one day you will visit this place to see this painting. It’s one more thing you can’t wait to see in colour.

Suddenly, footsteps sound behind you and you whirl around to meet the person who’s managed to come this close without making a sound.

“Oh, sorry, I must have the wrong room.”

Before you, is a tall man dressed in peculiar clothing. He has long thick hair that drapes over his eyes making him hard to see and it is this that confirms who he is. Edgar Allan Poe.

You plaster a bashful smile onto your face as you attempt to appear embarrassed. “Oh no, that’s okay, in fact it’s me that’s in the wrong place. I came in to admire this beautiful painting,” you say as you turn to gesture at the artwork, when suddenly all your words die in your throat.

Instead of the dashing streak of purple standing out amongst 50 shades of grey that you are expecting, you see bright vibrant colours covering the entire canvas. You’re not even entirely sure which colour is which but you’ve heard before that blues are cool and cold while reds are hot and passionate. You stare at the painting now and try to pick out which is which. Could that long curve of colour be the yellow you’ve always heard of.

“Wow”, the man whispers from behind you. You turn, expecting him to be immersed in the painting along with you but instead his attention is entirely focused on you. He looks up at you now, and beneath his bangs you can see soft grey eyes peeking up at you.

“I did not think I would ever find you. You’re stunning.”

You’re in a room surrounded by colours you’ve never seen before and yet this man has your full attention with one simple sentence. You take more notice of him now. He’s tall and slender, his clothes are strange but fit him nicely somehow. He quietly steps into the room and shuts the door behind him.

“My name is Edgar Poe”, he says. His voice wavers slightly and you can tell he’s nervous but his eyes are once again covered by cascading black hair making it difficult to read him.

“Edgar”, you say, the foreign name rolls off your tongue comfortably, “I’m, Y/N L/N.”

He steps forward and reaches for your hand. He raises it to his lips and places a soft kiss against your knuckles. His thumb gently brushes over your fingers. You shiver and a blush rises to your cheeks. He’s surprisingly charming.

You reach your other hand out and gently brush aside his bangs to reveal bright grey eyes. They shimmer like a cat’s. He cocks his head and appears flushed as he attempts to hide his eyes once again. Despite his charming demeanour, he is quite shy. He’s cute.

You chuckle and say, “Your eyes are beautiful.”

“I can say the same”, he responds, “I did not think I would meet you in this life. Yet you are as lovely as a moonflower. To think that I would meet you all the way here, in Japan.”

“The universe simply works in mysterious ways.”

He stares down at you and once again you can see his eyes. They feel hot as he gazes at you. You suddenly feel conscious of your outfit. The short dress has too little fabric between you two and you watch as his eyes roam downwards as he takes you in fully. You can’t help but feel heated beneath his scorching gaze.

“The universe has truly blessed me this time”, he says, “I’m going to kiss you now.”

His hands come up to cup your cheeks and he leans in close. You feel his light breath against your lips but he pauses. It takes a second for you to realize that this is his way of asking permission. You lean upwards and press your lips against his. Your arms wrap around him and you tug him closer. He’s warm. His lips are tentative and shy but he kisses you passionately. Despite how unpracticed he is, this kiss feels better than all the other ones. He simply makes you dizzy.

His hands that were previously gently cradling your face snakes downward and grabs your legs. With little warning he picks you up and deposits you onto the table. You squeak in surprise. He lets out a laugh before nuzzling your neck.

“That was such a cute sound”

You flush. “Next time give me a warning.”

He looks up at you and pouts, “But then I won’t get to hear it again.”

Any form of retort dies in your throat as you are greeted with a full view of his face. His bangs fall to the side of his face allowing you to fully take in his enchanting eyes. Upon closer inspection his eyes are in fact tinted with purple as they flash brilliantly at you. His face is made up of hard defined lines that accentuate his overall features. He’s so handsome he simply steals your breath away.

“My God, you’re beautiful”, you both say at the same time. Both of you flush red.

He chuckles awkwardly before leaning down and connecting your lips once again. He’s even bolder now as his hand slips beneath your dress and proceeds to run his long slender fingers up your inner thigh. You shiver.

“You’re getting quite bold now”, you say as you come up for air.

He says nothing as he begins to place kisses on your jaw. His teeth graze over your skin as his hand snakes even higher. Your skirt is practically at your waist when his hand brushes up against your most sensitive part. You blush as you realize how wet you are. He smirks against your neck.

“You seem to like how bold I’ve become.”

He applies more pressure as he finds your clit and begins to rub it in small circles. You gasp. With his other hand, he grabs your hip roughly and tugs you forward so that they rest at the edge of the table. Then, he leans over you even more and forces you to lie on your back. You remember that you’re in a restaurant but before you can say anything, his finger slips under your panties and he inserts one of his long fingers into you. Your words are quick to die in your throat as he curls his finger. After inserting it, he begins to move it around as he prepares you.

“Edgar”, you gasp.

He hastily connects your lips for a quick kiss before drawing back and smiling at you. His smile is almost sinister as he says, “Not so loud. Be a good girl and be quiet for me.”

You nod as he continues his movements before adding a second finger. His other hand reaches up and he instructs you to lift your back off the table. In a singular swift movement he pulls your zipper down. Without straps holding anything up he is given easy access to your chest. He licks his lips slowly as his eyes meet yours. They’ve darkened considerably and he leans down and begins to suckle your breasts without breaking eye contact. You moan and bury your hands into his hair. His long dark hair feels like silk in your hands as he continues to treat you like gold.

He pauses and sends you a warning look, his eyes are filled with mischief.

“I can’t help it, it’s too mu-”, your words are cut off but another moan. As he fingers you, his thumb has moved back to rubbing circles on your clit. You shiver as your back arches off the table. Fuck. You can feel yourself approaching your release. You can’t remember the last time you’ve felt so good. He chuckles before pausing all of his movements. He leans in and whispers, “You are so sensitive for me.”

God you didn't need the reminder but his hot breath against your ear only proves to further turn you on. You buck your hips against his fingers, aching for attention but he pulls them out. Bastard. He removes yo

“Don’t stop, you gasp out”, you whine.

The sound of his zipper sends another shiver down your spine. But he pauses and says, “I don’t have protection.”

“It’s fine, just put it in.”

“Are you sure?”, he says before placing a kiss on your forehead, “We don’t have to go all the way.”

Like fuck we don’t. You’re burning beneath him. “Edgar please, please put it in. Just fuck me already.”

He stills above you before his head drops onto your chest. “Fuck, you’re so hot when you beg.” He lifts his eyes to meet yours, “Beg me some more.”

“God you’re frustrating- Ah!” He sinks his teeth into your skin. He looks at you playfully before whispering out, “Beg”

“Edgar, please fuck me. Please sink your cock into me. Please, your cock was made for me. I want to feel you ploughing into me on this fucking table.”

Surprise flashes on his face briefly as he blushes. You feel his leaking cock at your entrance.

“Keep going”

You whimper pathetically, “Edgar, I’ll do anything. I’ll be your good little girl. Fuck, I’ll be your good little slut. Just, just sink your cock into me, just fuck me alrea- ah!”

He thrusts his hips forward and tip slides in. You’re so wet that he’s met with barely any resistance. He just slides in little by little, constantly thrusting before he’s fully sheathed inside you. You whimper beneath. You gasp and moan. Your fingers reach up and dig into his back. He’s so big. He feels so good.

“Cum inside me”, you gasp out.

He doesn’t pause but his hips snap forward even harder. He hits a spot inside you that has you completely fall apart in his arms. Your back arches completely off the table as he slams into.

“I’m cumming”, you shout. He pulls out as you both climax together. He finishes all over your thighs while you shiver and shake on the table. Squirting like a whore.

He leans forward and proceeds to collapse on top of you. Gently he kisses your cheek. You thread your fingers into his hair.

“I think we got a bit carried away”, he whispers as he nuzzles your neck.

“You don’t say”, you reply before your heart falls through the floor, “God! This is a restaurant.”

He chuckles before responding, “Don’t worry, these private rooms are soundproof since they’re often used for confidential meetings. No one was going to bother us today.”

You relax at that and gently whisper, “We should probably clean up and leave.”

“Of Course my Angel, I can’t wait for you to tell me every little thing about you.”

_____________________________

BONUS:

“So you’re a cop?”, Poe says later on as you’re both seated in your car.

You send him a look of surprise. How did he figure that out??

He smiles sheepishly and says, “I’m a detective, although I suppose you already know that.”

You smile apologetically, “I’m sorry, I was investigating you. My boss thinks that you used work with The Guild.”

He pauses and considers you carefully then he shrugs and says nonchalantly, “Indeed, I’m their former master architect.”

“I- uh- excuse me?”

“Yes, I travelled to Japan with them to confront an old foe.”

“You’re actually with the Guild? But the Agency said you were clean?”

“Is that so?”, he responds before smiling, “Then I guess Ranpo must’ve left that information out. I was the one who supplied them with The Guild’s weaknesses after all. I guess I still have time to challenge him again.”

“Poe, can you do me a favour?”

“Yes, my Angel, what would you like?”

You smile sheepishly.

“Let’s not mention that to anyone, ever.”

_______________________________

Tags: @ravenina14

Art: https://www.zerochan.net/2556711

#bsd smut #bsd fluff #edgar allan poe #edgar x reader #poe dameron x reader #bsd x reader #bsd fics #bungo stray dogs #bungo stray dogs fic #smut #fluff #poe smut #poe fluff #soulmate au #bungo stray dogs soulmate au #Poe is so pretty #Poe fluff #bsd poe #bungo stray dogs poe #bsd edgar #edgar allan poe headcanon #Poe smut #Edgar allan poe smut #Bsd smut #bungo stray dogs smut #18+ #Minors DNI

[p-antomime]

kiki ... do u have any writing tips ??? cuz i feel like my writing is shit and basic 😭😭😭

mhm, i have a lot tbh.

first of all, you need to know that: there is no such thing as talent in writing. you're not born knowing how or what to write, so, therefore, you need to take it easy to improve your writing, 'kay? no Edgar Allan Poe or Clarice Lispector is born overnight!

having said this, my first tip is: understand where your weakest writing points are, for example:

Is it in the dialogues? is it in the character description? is it in the description of places? is it in the passage of feelings and/or emotions?

if it is the second or third case, try to write at least the basic characteristics of your characters IN A BASIC MANNER first and then you go 'stuffing' it, y'know?

for example:

"she was a girl with brown skin, brown eyes and blonde hair" (a hypothetical character!)

and then, already 'stuffing' it, it would be like:

"she was a young girl whose skin was brown and made people wonder if she had come straight off the beach, eyes so brownish they looked like they were made of coffee or chocolate, but not milk chocolate because they had a bitter glow, blonde hair that made almost everyone remember the Olympic laurel crown."

see the difference?

anyway, if your problem is with the dialogs, try first to write 'em in a more formal way, as if you were the character and he was talking to a boss or a person in some higher position than him, AND ONLY THEN you adapt it to the situation you are narrating taking into account who the character is talking to (for example: friend, mother, boyfriend, roommate, etc).

now, another tip is: use and abuse figures of speech.

for example: synesthesia, catachresis, euphemism and antithesis. (don't worry, I'll explain them all to you)

going in parts here, I'll start with synaesthesia, which is nothing more than the use of words that refer to different sensory orders of the human body, here are some examples:

"Every time I stuck my nose in her neck, a perfume rose into my nostrils that tasted of longing and smelled of affection"

catachresis is a figure of speech that refers to the use of a term outside its original context to name, in a figurative way, something that does not have a specific name, for example: "oil thread".

and euphemism is a figure of speech that we use to make heavy subjects lighter, for example: to say that a dead puppy 'became a star' or 'went to heaven' or 'is resting'.

and antithesis (my favorite along with synesthesia) is basically the joining of two opposite ideas, my favorite examples of this figure of speech are these:

"We live in a hellish paradise."

"I can't tell which truth lies in the lie."

ah, it's also important to point out that antithesis is very similar to paradox, but in paradox the opposite ideas automatically cancel each other out, you see? in antithesis, the ideas can 'coexist with each other'.

and other tips i have for you:

1. try to consume a little more books, it helps you a lot to develop the fluidity of your story without leaving you plastered or stagnant!

2. don't compare your writing to other people's because, honestly speaking, your writing is something as personal to you as your own existence.

3. have different inspirations for what you write, especially in the field of sentimentality, because, honestly speaking, if you let yourself be carried away by a little comfort zone box in your writing, you'll end up frustrated when you want to write something more complex and/or sentimentally deep.

and well... that's all! i hope this message can help you a lot! and if you need more tips, please, call me again! <3

#(:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) — kiki's answer ​ᵎ

[fleetwood-mac-andcheese]

My thoughts while watching Holes for the billionth time

It’s fucked up that the movie starts with all the supporting characters watching their friend attempt suicide

How long was Stanley’s trial and how short was Zero’s trial? Because we know that Zero got arrested the day after Stanley did, but he arrived at Camp Greenlake significantly earlier. Like, he knew Barfbag, he already had a nickname, people knew he liked to dig. How long was he there before Stanley showed up?

In the book when they sing the song, they howl on the word moon (it’s written “moo-oo-oon”) and I wish they did that in the movie

The Yelnatses screwed Stanley over by not getting him a lawyer. The little bits we see of his case prove they had no clue what they were doing. And when they eventually do get a lawyer, he’s let out almost immediately.

I love how Dr. Pendanski is written. He’s such a terrible person who has convinced himself and is trying to convince those around him that he is the nicest guy around. He fucking sucks and I love how he’s written and how Tim Blake Nelson plays him.

“Today’s menu: Chili, string beans, re-fried beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, and banana jello” — aren’t green beans and string beans the same thing?

The cinematic choices made in this movie are just *chef’s kiss*. The way they jump from timeline to timeline without ever losing pace is masterful

Eartha Kitt is flawless.

While Eartha Kitt is flawless, I want it noted that in the book, Madame Zeroni is described as a one legged Romani person (Sachar actually used the G slur) and Eartha Kitt is neither one-legged nor Romani.

Zero is the fastest digger in the camp, but they never really explain how big the camp is. Like, is he the fastest out of 25 people? 60 people, 140 people?

Just to revisit point 8, I fucking love Eartha Kitt

The yellow spotted lizards are such an excellent plot device

All the inmates are either A) mentally ill B) people of color or C) severely traumatized. But most of them are D) all of the above

When Squid throws out Stanley’s letter, catch Zero in the background with a pool cue ready to beat the shit out of that motherfucker

It’s weird that they show Sam as some kind of snake oil salesman when we know that his product actually works. The yellow spotted lizards won’t bite you if you’ve eaten his onions. Why claim they cure baldness or that Mary Lou is over 100 years old?

Zero back at it again ready to throw hands for Stanley, this time with a billiards ball

The fact that magnet got locked up for stealing a thousand dollar puppy

“You are here on account of one person. You know who that person is?” “Yeah, my no good, dirty rotten, pig-stealing, great great grandfather. That’s who it is”

Henry Winker provides such comedic levity

When Zero asks Stanley to teach him how to read and it’s such a nice moment of vulnerability, only to be shot down by Stanley. I just want to cry

What happens if someone actually dies at Camp Greenlake? Like, Zero and Stanley ran away and Barfbag got sent to the hospital, but they all survived. What would the protocol be if someone just dies while digging? Clearly there’s not a lot of oversight because Stanley can get away with Zero digging his hole, so what happens when one of those kids get overheated working all day in the Texas sun and just collapses in their hole one day and nobody thinks to check on them until the next day when the buzzards are all gathered around their corpse?

I’ve waited long enough to say this. Sigourney Weaver in this movie is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. I fucking love her

Sam and Katherine. nuff said

“Well then I guess you’d be in a lot of trouble if your boat leaked.” *sobs*

Just casually reciting Edgar Allen Poe from memory as a way of professing my love to a woman I legally cannot be with due to racist laws forbidding interracial relationships.

I can’t help but remember that Scott Plank died during the post production of this movie. Respect to him and his ability to play such a good villain as Trout Walker

“No one ever says no to Trout Walker.” “I believe I just did.” SAY IT LOUDER, KATE!

Sam

I love that Kate’s MO came from a racist sheriff sexually harassing her

The sunflower seed thing reminds me of something that happened to me at RTC and it’s just a really nice moment for me

Stanley acting so casual by not doing the one thing he’s supposed to be doing

The look on Magnet’s face right before Stanley covers for him

I really want to know more about the Warden and Mr. Sir’s relationship

I also really want a bottle of that rattlesnake nail polish, but maybe that’s just me

I also really like that Sachar didn’t shy away from the racial implications of a white guy having a black guy do his labor for him. Then again, the whole story is an indictment of racism and the American prison system, so it makes sense he wouldn’t ignore that

The way Stanley gets so excited when Zero mentions that park. Like ‘oh, we have something in common. We used to go to the same park!’ and Zero just shuts it down with “I used to sleep in the tunnel next to the swing and bridge” Stanley may have been cursed, but he still had a home

Zero finally gets to throw hands on Stanley’s behalf. He’s been waiting to do that since point 14

Pendanski really is the shittiest

“No one cares about Hector Zeroni” “I do”

I love that Twitch was just instantly ready to help Stanley steal Mr. Sir’s car

What are the chances of Kate, Zero, and Stanley all finding Sam’s boat in the middle of the desert? And I know Kate probably spent years looking for it after the lake dried up and for Zero and Stanley it was destiny, but still

Zero, you gotta ration that sploosh

One more time for emphasis: I love Eartha Kitt

Kate dying and she hallucinates Sam, only to be snapped out of it by Trout Walker. Just Trout stopping them from being together one last time

“It hasn’t rained here since the day they killed Sam” and you think whatever deity made that happen is gonna let anyone in the Walker family end up with Kate Barlow’s fortune?

“I can’t leave without Hector.”

“Call my mom. Tell her I said I was sorry. Tell her Theodore said he was sorry” cue Small Steps

Justice reigns over the Walker family and rain falls over the Walker estate

I would love for someone to find out just how much that treasure chest was really worth. Can one of those theorist channels get on that, please?

Hector finding his mom is nothing short of heart-melting. I’m not crying, you’re crying

“Camp Greenlake was closed and the boys were released on time served and sent to real counselors” Wait, are you implying that forced labor is an unjust prison sentence? Someone better tell the prison industrial complex!

So what happened with Sweet Feet? Did they sit him down and explain the misunderstanding before or after signing him as the spokesperson for their product? He was the prosecution’s lead witness at Stanley’s trial, but nope! All is forgiven!

The soundtrack slaps

Point 53, however you have Shia Labeouf and Eartha Kitt in the same movie and you put which one of them on the soundtrack? Just wondering who made that call. Like, you layer ‘I Want To Be Evil’ or ‘Burned As A Witch’ over any of Kissing Kate Barlow’s scenes, it’d be perfect. But no, instead we get the dude from Even Stevens trying to rap.

#holes movie #holes by louis sachar #movie analysis #long post #Shia Labeouf #tw suicide #suicide tw #tw racism #racism tw #tw food #food tw #tw prison #prison tw #tw money #money tw #tw homelessness #homelessness tw #movies #Original #Jamie Talks

[blitheringmcgonagall]

My Gallant Lad - Part I

So I got a wonderful anon today telling me this is their favourite Lily Rescues James fic, it’s part of my canon marauders fic We Can Be Heroes. But, because it works as a stand alone, I’ll be posting it in 4  parts here. I hope you enjoy it (Lily is very BAMF here but tbh so is James). Set during First Wizarding War...

James slammed the palms of his hands down on Dumbledore’s desk.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he said, his eyes a hot mess of emotions.

“Get your oafish hands off my desk, now!” Lily said, recovering from the initial shock almost immediately with a flash of anger.

“Your desk?” James said, taking his hands off the desk, nevertheless.

“I’m using it now, yes, I need to get these mission forms finished and signed before bringing them for filing in the Room of Requirement,” Lily said, looking back at James angrily. “What the hell is your problem, Potter?”

“My problem?” James was furious. “I’ll tell you what my problem is, Evans. My problem is that my bloody wife thought it sensible to visit Walburga Black, the same woman who thinks nothing of throwing a Crucio at her children, whose husband tried to kill Sirius, who detests muggleborns, who tried to – oh fucking hell, Lily! What the absolute, ever-living fuck possessed you?”

She had never seen him so angry. She folded her arms defensively and glared back, wondering how he had found out.

“I’ll tell you exactly what possessed me, Potter,” she said coldly. “My problem is my dickhead of a husband who nearly got himself thrown into Azkaban by the Blacks, but then thought it sensible to attend a Black family funeral, and to top it all, decided to call over to chat to Orion’s heir, as you do! Do I need to explain it further? What exactly was I meant to do? Let you read the letter and let you waltz back in there so that bitch could finish you off, once and for all?”

She was standing up now, and he couldn’t quite understand how someone so slender and uncommonly kind could look so intimidating and fierce within the space of a few seconds.

“That letter was addressed to me, damn it!” James said, his voice rising with irritation. “You had no right opening my post!”

“I don’t care!” Lily said, looking more agitated and feeling guilty. “If you think I would have let you just go there, you’re even more stupid than I gave you credit for!”

“You’re a muggleborn, Evans, fucking bloody fucking…” James’ words ran out as he waved his arm about with rage. “You could have been killed, do you understand me? Killed, damn it!”

“Yes, well, so could you, at least I have more sense! Remus and I knew what we were doing!” Lily shot back, feeling angrier by the second.

“You clearly didn’t, Evans! What you did was grossly irresponsible and wilfully sly! I don’t care what you say, you could have been killed, Evans, for fuck’s sake! When I see Moony, I’m going to kill him!”

James made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and slammed his fist against the wall. Damn it, he was furious and livid and scared out of his wits and fucking sick of this shit.

“Remus didn’t have any choice, I told him I was going, and he decided to come with me, surely a safer bet! Don’t you dare drag Remus into this!” Lily said.

“Don’t you dare, ever, ever go behind my back like that again, ever, do you hear me?” he shouted.

“You can scream all you like, Potter, you don’t get to tell me what to do!” Lily said, her voice rising angrily.

“Don’t you dare act like you’re the innocent one in this Evans, for fuck’s sake!” James said.

“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me, Potter!” Lily said. “Get out!”

Her voice was starting to wobble which made her even madder.

“You know what? Fine!” James said, gripping his wand tightly and watching as furious sparks flew from his wand tip. “If you want to tell yourself that this is my fault, if you want to lie to yourself so you can  – ugh! Lily, don’t you dare defend this!”

“I’m not listening to your ranting any longer!” Lily said, slamming the book shut and flinging her quills and parchment into her well-worn bag.

She marched past him, livid and upset and boiling with rage. They hadn’t spoken since. James had slept at his parents’ house for a while and now, with Sirius and Remus gone, James had taken to sleeping in his friends’ bedroom. He didn’t like leaving her with only Wormy for protection. They avoided each other at mealtimes. Peter had cringed and disappeared into the relative safety of his bedroom. There was simply no way he could win if he took sides. They were both still furious.

                                                        ***

“Looks like you swapped into an easy shift,” said Edgar Bones, loosening his collar and placing his cloak over his arm. “Nothing much happening, no handover.”

“Thanks,” said James curtly.

“Lily, James,” Edgar said, tipping his hat at them, sensing something was amiss but too polite to bring it up in conversation.

“Edgar,” said James.

“Bye, Edgar, see you soon,” Lily said, smiling at him half-heartedly.

“If it stays this quiet, I’m going to try going for a kip,” said Frank Longbottom, looking at the fireplace one last time and throwing a blanket over himself.

James nodded absent-mindedly, his left hand restlessly tapping on his thigh, shooting Lily fleeting glances when he knew she wasn’t watching. He hated whenever they fought, and this had been their worst row ever. The night stayed quiet, Lily dozed off on the armchair and James watched her. He was worried about her too, she looked pale and she seemed off her food for weeks now. It added to the leaden feeling of guilt he was carrying. It was his fault. He was right, he was damned well right, and he had nothing to apologise for, but he probably would. Because he knew what he was getting himself into when he married her, didn’t he? And wouldn’t he have done the exact same thing in her place, he told himself for the umpteenth time? He transfigured his jumper into a warm, thick blanket and placed it over her gently, doubling it up and kissing the top of her head tenderly. He watched the magical fairy lights on the tree twinkling merrily. He couldn’t have felt less Christmassy. He fell asleep eventually, having transfigured the rug into a scratchy blanket.

He was woken up by a loud shout emanating from the fireplace.

“You better get your sorry arses down here immediately! I’ve just intercepted intel that a couple of Death Eaters are planning an attack on a muggle school bus in the vicinity of Newcastleton!” Dedalus Diggle’s voice crackled.

“Where’s that?” said James, his voice still croaky from sleep.

“Border between England and Scotland. Dumbledore has left a special portkey in his room that means you should be able to get anywhere, immediately. Hurry! There’s nobody else around.”

“Great!” grumbled Frank, sitting up reluctantly, but shoving his feet into his shoes without hesitation. “Typical Dumbledore, never around when you need him!”

“Get some water and rations and let’s go,” Lily said, standing up and sitting back down rather suddenly.

“Alright, Evans?” James said, with a concerned frown.

“Fine, just feeling a bit sick, probably need to eat something,” she said.

“Maybe you should stay behind?” James said.

“No!” Lily said, forcing herself to stand. “It’s fine. We can’t risk it. It’s children, James!”

James nodded immediately. He wanted to apologise, but not in front of Frank.

“Dedalus, can you try and contact a few of the others in case anyone is available to join us? We’ll be with you in a jiffy,” he said.

“No can do, I’ve also had word of another attack planned in Wales, I’m trying to get in touch with Moody as we speak!”

“Got it,” said Lily, looking at Frank and James. “Don’t worry, we’re on it!”

                                                         ***

“This place gives me the creeps,” said James, peering up at the tall trees.

The air felt thick and heavy, the branches seemed to vie with each other to block out the sunlight, suffocating. Thick moss, grey and faded, clung to everything, dried twigs and branches snapped loudly beneath their feet, disturbing the numerous birds whose harsh cries filled the air, as though spying on them, he thought, watching their acrobatic flight.

“Jackdaws,” he said quietly, moving closer to Lily.

Lily gave him a quizzical look.

“That’s their call - a short, loud, ‘kya’ sound, and they have distinctive, beady white eyes,” he added.

“Is there anything you guys don’t know?” grumbled Frank, shooting James a friendly grin.

“Nope,” James grinned back.

He moved closer to Lily, protectively, feeling a threat in the fabric of the forest, ancient memories, secret and forbidding. He had transfigured the portkey into a muggle leather bracelet, insignificant and worthless to any potential Death-Eaters, which he had placed on Lily’s wrist despite her protestations.

“They must be here somewhere,” Frank whispered, holding his wand aloft. “If we just keep walking, we’ll increase the chances of them seeing us.”

“Let’s split up, I’ll hide in there,” Lily said, pointing to a decrepit, large pine, whose gnarly trunk was rotting and held space for one person. “You two get on higher ground. We can all see the road from here. If you spot anything dangerous, send your signal.”

James’ was an owl hooting, Lily’s was the snort of a frightened deer, Frank’s was the harsh screech of a magpie.

“Alright,” James said, turning to look at Lily, feeling awkward and unsure. “Take care, please.”

“You too,” Lily said, her face unreadable.

“I’m glad Alice isn’t on call today,” Frank whispered after a pause, as they moved on carefully. “We just found out she’s pregnant. Bit of a shock really. Took us ages to figure it out, despite her feeling nauseated for a couple of weeks, being off her food, feeling dizzy and tired, you name it!”

He looked excited and pleased.

“Frank!” said James. “Wow, that’s… that’s brave of you, and rather wonderful news.”

He didn’t know what to say.

He stopped short.

Took us ages to figure it out, despite her feeling nauseated for a couple of weeks, being off her food, feeling dizzy and tired, you name it!

The night of Sirius’ twentieth Birthday. They had both forgotten to cast a contraceptive charm. Could that explain…?

“Frank, I forgot something, I need to run back to Lily, go ahead!” James said.

“You okay?” Frank said, seeing James’ face turn grey.

But he was already gone.

                                                       ***

“Lily!” James said, catching his breath.

“What is it?” Lily said, wand ready to shoot.

“Lily, have you done a pregnancy charm?”

“A what?”

“To see if you’re pregnant?”

“No, why?”

They stared at each other for a moment. Understanding dawned on her.

“James,” said Lily, her green eyes searching his anxiously.

“Let me,” James whispered, taking hold of his wife’s slender wrist and turning her palm upwards, he pointed his wand tip at her pulse point. “Gravidam!”

They both watched as James’ wand tip glowed green.

“Fuck,” he said hoarsely, staring at her.

“What does that mean, James?” Lily said.

“It means… it means you’re pregnant,” James said, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Fucking bloody fucking…”

Lily’s eyes were wide as his words sank in. As his reaction sank in. She turned away from him and swiped hastily at the tears that fell down her cheeks silently.

“We need to…” James said urgently. “Fucking Merlin… fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“I’m sorry, alright?” Lily’s voice broke as she spoke, her lower lip trembling. “I should have been more careful. I didn’t mean this to happen now, God I really didn’t mean this to… I understand if that’s how you feel, James, but I-“

“What?” James said, turning her around to face him and taking her face in his hands tenderly. “Lily, Merlin, I don’t mean –“

The screech of a magpie rent the air and they both jumped.

“Incarcerous!” numerous voices shouted, as thick ropes coiled themselves swiftly around them, James’ wand dropping to the floor.

“Expelliarmus!” a recognisable voice added, James’ wand flying through the air. “Where’s the other one’s wand?”

“Mulciber,” James said, the blood draining from his face.

“I said, where’s your wand, bitch?” Mulciber said, grabbing Lily by the throat.

“I dropped it earlier on,” Lily rasped, staring back at him defiantly. “I can’t find it.”

“Accio Lily Evans’ wand!” Mulciber ordered, pointing his wand at Lily.

Lily’s wand flew out of the thicket behind them. Mulciber leered at Lily.

“Grab hold of them and set anti-apparition wards around them! And get them to de Soulis Castle, now!” Mulciber said to the other Death-Eaters who surrounded them. “The Dark Lord will be very disappointed to find that it isn’t Sirius Black we have captured, just a useless blood-traitor and a vile mudblood. The information we received must have been incorrect.”

“Shut the fuck up, Mulciber!” James sprang forwards in fury.

“Quiet!” Mulciber said, coming right up in front of Lily and grabbing hold of her Jacket collar. “Or she gets hurt.”

James swallowed.

I tried to laugh about it Cover it all up with lies I tried to laugh about it Hiding the tears in my eyes 'Cause boys don't cry

                                                     ***

The weathered remains of the castle loomed, malevolent, as they crossed the bridge over the moat. Fragments of a tower emerged, the holes in its walls reminiscent of a skull. While the forest around it was dry and parched, wilting and unseasonably warm, as they neared the castle gates mist descended on them. The inside of the castle felt damp and cold. Much colder. Mulciber’s breath condensed in front of him as he spoke, frost clung to the corners of the walls, there were no windows in the great hall.

He had seen this room before… where?

The heavy double doors leading into the main banqueting hall swung open, and four men entered, none of their faces were masked.

“Villiers, Wilkes, Rosier, Snape,” said Mulciber, with a cold laugh. “Your very closest allies, I believe? I failed to retrieve the disowned Black heir, but I found these.”

Villiers and Wilkes giggled. Silence descended as another figure entered the room, the five men bowing immediately. Muciber pushed James and Lily forcefully and they fell forwards onto their knees. James watched as Voldemort approached slowly, with a gleeful expression. He zoned in on Snape, Snape who was watching Lily with terror on his face, before carefully schooling it into neutral.

The room.

McGonagall’s grim tones echoed in his mind.

“So, a group of Death Eaters, who appear to have captured Lily Evans, in an unidentified location?”

Divination class. His vision. He had forseen this.

“Lily,” he said quietly, speaking through his teeth. “Do you trust me to get us out?”

He was sure Voldemort could hear his heart pounding.

“If you have an idea, I’m all in,” Lily murmured, watching Voldemort as he drew nearer.

“Leave it to me,” he whispered.

Taking a deep breath, he turned and locked eyes with Severus Snape.

“Fuck you, Severus Snape! You absolute bastard! Stay the fuck away from my wife, do you hear? Don’t you dare go near her, you fucking piece of shit! I despise you, Snivellus! You fucking coward! Bastard cursed Death Eater! Stay the fuck away from her or I’ll kill you with my bare hands!” James screamed.

#My Gallant Lad #WCBH one shots #BAMF!Lily #BAMF!James #Lily rescues James #first wizarding war #angst and adventure #anti sneep #not for you if you like sneep #jily fic #canon Jily #marauders era